Dark Side of the Moon
by Goldenlioness4
Summary: “Friendship treasure the tears, treasure the laughter, but most importantly, treasure the memories.” Sirius Black and James Potter are entering their fifth year and it is sure to be an eventful one. Friendship will be tested, strengthened, and lost.
1. Garden Rebellion

Author's note: This is a semi-sequel to my "Footsteps" series. I decided not to continue on with the series and for a more detail reasoning, please visit my profile. This story is still taking place in the boys' fifth year and it will be similar to what I had planned originally. Sirius's family situation is the way I had it in the first two stories. However you do not need to have read my year one and year two of "Footsteps" to read this, though if you'd like to check them out go right ahead. Hopefully I haven't disappointed too many of my old readers and I hope you enjoy my new story and this first chapter!

**Chapter 1 - Garden Rebellion**

It was a sunny, breezy day; the wind rustled the branches of the towering trees. Leaves were twirling lightly in the air, some landing on the grass and others on the teenage boy sprawled out on the stone bench below. The bench was composed of grey granite and an elaborate family crest was engraved on the front. The teenage boy had dark hair falling casually over his eyes, appearing elegant without any effort. One could go on to describe the exact shade of the boy's grey eyes or his well defined body or his charming smile, but it all came down to one undeniable fact - the boy was very good-looking.

The young man had his eyes closed, his breathing relaxed, and he appeared not to expect a disturbance anytime soon.

"Sirius Black."

The voice was female, young, and did not belong to any of the boy's relatives; and only this combination could persuade Sirius to open his eyes and acknowledge the person in front of him.

"Leila Yaxley."

"I thought you were ill."

Sirius regarded the young woman with casual detachment, seemingly aloof to her beauty. Leila Yaxley was indeed beautiful, angelic features and brown hair cascading down her shoulders; her dress robes _fit_ in all the right places.

Fifteen-year-old Sirius had enough experience dealing with attractive girls that he was able to look Leila straight in the eyes without betraying any hint of desire on his side.

"Precautionary measure. I would have been sick if I had to spend another moment with any of my relatives."

Sirius knew why the Yaxley's were visiting; why they'd brought along their daughter under the pretense that she was visiting Narcissa, Sirius's cousin. It wasn't even a very well thought out cover since Narcissa was five years Leila's and Sirius's senior. Sirius's nerves were already on the last string, having stayed over at his aunt's and uncle's manor over the past few days.

"You might want to find another hiding place. My father, your uncle, your aunt, your father, and your brother are headed this way."

"Are they?" Sirius asked vaguely, unconcerned. He sat up.

"Your uncle kept prattling on about some statue out in the garden that's been in the Black family for generations, rumored to be a gift from Salazar Slytherin. Of course my father demanded to see it."

"Oh, it's over there." Sirius pointed to his left. "It's a statue of some famous witch, but it's so old, it really isn't impressive looking."

"I was upset to hear you were ill," Leila said softly. The statue held little interest to her.

"Were you?"

"Come now. You know why I'm here. Let's not pretend."

"I do know."

With one quick motion Sirius was on his feet a few centimeters from Leila, and he noticed with satisfaction that his sudden closeness caused her to blush. Over Leila's shoulder Sirius could see his father, relatives, and Mr. Yaxley approaching. Perhaps if the circumstances had been different Sirius would have considered dating Leila…

The approaching group was now near enough and Sirius leaned in to kiss Leila full on the mouth. He expected some resistance on Leila's part, but she returned the kiss with enthusiasm. His left hand slowly trailed down on her waist, as low as he dared venture, the other hand began slowly unclasping the top buttons of her dress robe.

There was a rushing sound and they were blasted apart, both knocked onto the ground. Druella Black, Sirius's aunt, was helping Leila to her feet; both women looked completely mortified. As Sirius picked himself off the ground, he came face to face with the enraged Derek Yaxley, his wand pointed at Sirius's chest. Sirius would have liked nothing more than to draw his own wand on the pudgy balding man. Except the privilege of carrying a wand had been taken away from him by his mother, just as it had since that summer after his first year; locked away in her desk only to be returned if Sirius needed it for a summer lesson or when Hogwarts started up again.

"Now Derek, please-" Cygnus Black, Sirius's uncle had stepped up next to Mr. Yaxley.

"I will not calm down! Your nephew was mauling my daughter!"

"She hardly seemed to mind," Orion Black, Sirius's father, remarked.

"Dear Merlin - I will not – you will not -" Mr. Yaxley spluttered in indignation.

Orion continued, "No harm was done and seeing as to why you are here, it certainly isn't undesirable…makes our lives easier."

"Let us go inside. Sit down for a cup of tea," Druella fluttered. They were all very eager to separate Sirius from the Yaxleys.

Sirius's aunt linked arms with Leila, leading her towards the house. Sirius was watching this all still a bit dazed from the kiss. She certainly wasn't as innocent as her father thought. Leila had known exactly what she had been doing with that mouth of hers.

Cygnus nodded to Derek, who looked as if somehow he'd been tricked, yet followed them back inside. Moments later Sirius was left with only his younger brother, Regulus, who had stayed silent throughout the whole ordeal. Regulus was two years younger, slighter in size, same dark hair and eyes as his elder brother, though less defined. These slight dissimilarities made all the difference; Regulus was not nearly as handsome.

"Feeling better?" Regulus asked.

"Much," Sirius replied with a grin.

"You're mad…if you think Mr. Yaxley will let you near his daughter ever again…"

"Such a shame…as you can see, I am overcome with misery."

Regulus narrowed his eyes. "You're an idiot. What if the next girl mother and father match you up with is a troll?"

"I'll marry who I choose."

"You'll marry who mother and father decide. You know you will. It's how things are, Sirius. Fight it all you want, but in the end, you'll do as you are told."

Sirius opened his mouth to retort. He was the first Black in Gryffindor after all – if anyone could change tradition, it was him. He stopped himself because he saw his mother hurling down the path toward them. It was impressive that she still kept her regal air, even while practically foaming at the mouth in anger.

Walburga planted herself in front of her eldest; she was no longer significantly taller than Sirius. Walburga brought her hand up and slapped her son on the cheek with all her strength.

"How dare you!" She whacked him once more in the same area. Sirius stood stiffly, his body taut; he'd already prepared himself for his mother's reaction. He had already decided that asserting himself – making it clear to his parents that they would rule no aspect of his future and that included marriage - in this way was worth any consequence.

It wasn't as if Sirius hadn't been hit before; usually it was one of their home school teachers or nannies – only when the transgression was severe or repeated too often, did his father and mother deliver the corporal punishment. Divvying out punishments was really the only thing Walburga gave leeway on with her children's caregivers. She kept Sirius and Regulus on a tight leash, dictating every minute of their day, so that their nannies and teachers could not allow their charges a moment of recess without express permission from Mrs. Black.

His cheek stinging, humiliated even though only his brother had been privy to the slap, Sirius lashed out in the only way he could, with words. "There's no need for dramatics, Mother. How does Mr. Yaxley expect us to produce lots of little heirs if I'm not to touch his precious daughter?"

"Insolent child! Enough of this. You will start behaving. I will not have any more excuses that you are young, that you are at an age that you are trying to assert yourself, that this is merely a stage you are going through. You will go inside; you will apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Yaxley for your rudeness, for needlessly upsetting them. You will keep your eyes downcast. You will not so much as glance in Miss Yaxley's direction. Then you will go upstairs, the door will be locked behind you. You will be dealt with tomorrow afternoon when we return home, severely dealt with, Sirius."

"Yes, Mother." There was not an ounce of respect in Sirius's voice. The contempt he held for his family had grown each year since he'd been first sorted into Gryffindor – that first rebellion hadn't been entirely intentional. It had been with slight hope that he'd placed the Sorting Hat on his head for a placement other than Slytherin.

Even as a small child, Sirius had always questioned things; reasons for rules, reasons for memorizing family trees, reasons for why he couldn't play with Muggles. Obedience was one of the cardinal rules of the _Noble and Most Ancient House of Black_; noncompliance was swiftly dealt with. Sirius's parents had gotten close to taming him, suppressing his mischievous nature with endless hours of rewriting lines, memorizing names – combined with punishment when he stepped a little out of line.

At Hogwarts Sirius had met James Potter, a boy's whose childhood was so different from his own, parents who spoiled him, allowed him to do what he choose. James's day to day routine was rarely planned out - let alone his entire life. A few months of sharing a dorm with James and Sirius started to loosen up and become more carefree. They had befriended two other boys, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew forming their tightly knit group. His parents had instilled many ideas in his head about pure-bloods, blood-traitors, Muggle-borns, and Muggle filth. At first Sirius had disagreed with his parents' views and doctrines just for the sake of disagreeing, but over the years he learned how wrong their facts were. He had found that loyalty could be given without resorting to threats, real friendship could not be bought, and most importantly that the person you were mattered more than purity of blood.

* * *

"It was wrong of you, my dear, to force Sirius to apologize to Derek Yaxley." Orion's voice floated through the door reaching where Sirius stood. He'd been called down to his father's office and he was not eager to enter it. As usual Orion's tone was cool as ice, no emotion in the words, only hardness; the 'my dear' not a form of endearment, but a claim of ownership over his wife. 

"Wrong of me?" Walburga's voice was high, shrill and condescending. There was little point in Walburga bothering to keep emotion out of her voice when she was so high tempered.

"Yes," Orion snapped. "Yaxleys are below the Blacks. Sirius was the best match Derek could have hoped for his daughter. There was no need to further our family's humiliation by that apology."

"No need? Did you not see how upset Derek was? He would have left; any further contact between our families lost!"

"It would have been no loss. Why is it that my wife holds the Yaxleys in such high regard?"

"I do not. I was merely trying to rein in our son. Do not tell me you condone his actions?"

"You have made it into a larger deal than any of it was. Did you notice how Derek allows his daughter to dress in public? Those robes could hardly have been cut lower. Sirius behaved as any other teenage boy would have."

"Is that what you think?" Walburga laughed dryly. "You do not know Sirius at all. He was solely trying to thwart our matchmaking. Any attraction at all towards the girl was simply an added advantage."

A calloused rough hand suddenly grasped Sirius by the arm. Kreacher, the house-elf, was pushing him into his father's study.

"Mistress, Master, Kreacher found Master Sirius listening at the door."

Walburga regarded Sirius coldly. "Thank you, Kreacher. Dismissed."

Sirius bowed, clasping his hands behind his back, head down slightly. He was skating on thin ice; he saw no reason to anger them further by not following the usual courtesies. His Uncle Alphard was always on him to 'choose his battles' and it was advice when it came to authority, Sirius had trouble following.

"Lying that you were sick, violating a young girl, eavesdropping on your mother and father. What is next, Sirius? Will you be plundering stores, starting brawls in the street?"

Sirius knew better than to answer.

"Do you have anything to say, Sirius? In your defense?"

"I'm not marrying Leila Yaxley or any other -"

"See, Orion?" Her eyes were glowing manically; almost as if she wanted to be right, wanted to believe the worst about her son. "He was conniving against his own family; against the best interest of the Blacks."

"I will marry who I want!"

"Sirius, you will marry who we say." His father's voice cut through Sirius's words.

"No! You cannot force me to-"

"Marriage is not a liberty. It most certainly should not be left for the young to decide." Sirius's further protests and the stance he had tried to make were dismissed. His father was like that, barely recognizing Sirius's acts of rebellions, as if Sirius was only play acting. Somehow this was worse than his mother's outbursts and her yelling, ranting, and raving. She took everything he did personally, as if he were attacking the foundation of the Black family and her very soul. Sirius hoped that because it affected her so deeply that somewhere inside of her, there was the slightest possibility his mother cared about him; just him and not because he was heir and a carrier of the family name.

"Now let us decide on a suitable punishment."

Walburga had obviously been waiting for this moment; she wasted not a second with her idea. "We should not allow him to visit the Potters."

This was the one thing Sirius had been dreading. Knowing he had an escape from his family for a seven full days was the only way he kept sane at times. The Potters were well-connected and though had blood-traitor tendencies, were well liked and respected. By using all those advantages, the Potters had convinced, or more likely coerced, Orion and Walburga to allow Sirius a week each summer to visit James.

"That is unworkable. You and I will be away at the conference that week. We've already arranged for Regulus to stay over my brother's and his wife made it clear she will not take Sirius as well. What would we do with him?"

"Take Sirius with us. The company will be beneficial."

The 'conference' his parents were talking about was a meeting of the oldest pure-blood families, who sympathized with 'the cause.' The conference would be full of cocktail parties, elaborate dinners, and balls, all in hopes to persuade these families to publicly support and donate money to 'the cause.'

'The cause,' in the simplest terms, was about purifying all the magical bloodlines. There were multiple areas of 'the cause' and disagreements were beginning to rise about how far was too far. Should they simply lobby for a law only allowing pure-bloods to apply for the highest level jobs in the Ministry, or go as far as getting rid of the Statute of Secrecy, and enslaving the Muggles? Sirius had overheard his relatives discussing this very predicament. It was all headed by an elusive man named Lord Voldemort. This sort of movement had sprung up before over the generations, and only over the last few months was the general population realizing things were getting serious, deadly serious.

"No. It is not a place for a boy. Let us not forget, we have the meddlesome Potters to deal with as well. They will cause us trouble, perhaps dig into things we do not want unearthed, if the boy does not show up healthy and well on their doorstep. I can bring him to work with me over the next few days. He will step into my shoes eventually and I'm sure Sirius will find it all sufficiently boring. That shall serve as his punishment."

"Fine," Walburga said. Her husband's tone had finality to it and though she was not completely convinced, it was not her place to argue further.

There was a pop and Kreacher was back.

"What is it?" she demanded. It was, after all, the wife's duty to deal with house-elves. Kreacher's face was contorted in a strange grimace and Sirius realized, with a jolt, it was gleeful.

"Kreacher is cleaning, Mistress. Kreacher is in Master Sirius's room." Kreacher paused shivering slightly in the excitement of his revelation. Sirius saw the snide look the house-elf threw at him. "Oh, Mistress must come see!"

Sirius kept his expression undaunted and indifferent, for once thankful for all those childhood lessons on keeping your emotions masked that his father had drilled into him and Regulus.

"Do you have a confession, son?" Walburga stared straight at Sirius. He flinched a fraction, his heart rate increased, but he did not speak. Sirius knew Kreacher had discovered his new wallpaper 'decoration.' His walls were now covered in Gryffindor banners and Muggle pictures. Sirius had been lucky it had taken so long to be discovered. He did want it to be exposed eventually, he'd done it to rile them obviously; he was just waiting for the best moment to unveil it. If he had a choice in the matter, today would have not been it; not with his mother's temper so close to boiling point already. He wished Kreacher had not decided today to disobey his order of staying out of his room. The house-elf would have to punish itself later for it. Kreacher had never taken to Sirius as he had to Regulus.

Walburga threw Sirius a withering look. She chose not to force her son to answer, and instead strode out of the office; her footsteps could be heard resounding through the house.

"Go on to your room. Tell your mother if punishment is needed she may deal with you in any way she sees fit. I have business to attend to. I have no more time to deal with your misbehavior."

"Yes, sir." He bowed before leaving the room. His mother was already quite red in the face by the time he reached her. She was attempting to pull the poster of a motorcycle from his wall. Sirius's interest in this Muggle contraption had first begun when a Gryffindor girl in his year had brought back photos from her trip to France. She'd taken dozens of pictures of who she considered to be 'gorgeous foreigners' on or near motorcycles.

It was love at first sight. Motorcycles were fast and dangerous – just they way Sirius wished to live his life. Live for the moment and don't look back. It was a perfect symbol of his rebellion.

"Permanent sticking charm, I see. Undo it, Sirius."

"I can't."

Knowing his wand would be taken the moment he returned home, Sirius had enlisted his mates for help. They'd researched ways to delay the effect of a spell, as well non-magical methods to activate. In the end all Sirius had to do was sprinkle the back of the pictures with water and press the item firmly on the wall.

"You can borrow my wand. You will vanquish this filth from your walls."

"I can't, Mother. I didn't cast the spell so even if I wanted to…"

"Who cast it then?" His mother was spitting the words out in rage.

It had been Remus, but seeing the anger burning in his mother's eyes; his mother already had an unnatural interest in Sirius's half-blooded friend. The Lupins were a lower middle class family and were sitting ducks if a Black went after them.

"James," Sirius lied.

"Potter!"

The Potters were at least safe from the vengeance of his mother.

Walburga jabbed a finger at one of the bikini clad Muggle girls Sirius had hung. "Is this the filth you want to breed with?"

Sirius had no intention of doing anything with these girls, but i look /i at them. His mother didn't have to know that though.

"Yes. Why not? They have good genes."

He knew the reference to Muggles in any positive fashion would flip his mother out.

"You dare defile this house. You dare dishonor your family. You want to talk of genes, of breeding, of blood?"

Sirius certainly did not want to discuss of any of those things. He scolded himself for even bringing up the subject.

"Let us talk of _your_ genes, of _your_ breeding and of _your_ blood. You cannot hide from your family's history. It is part of who you are. You think it was by accident that we came into money and authority? You can disapprove of the Dark Arts and pure-blood idealism all you want – but remember this: because generations of Blacks aligned themselves with those principles _is_ the reason our family is this powerful and the reason you have all those privileges that you are ungrateful for." The controlled fury in her words un-footed Sirius. He had wanted to leave his family with a permanent reminder that he was a Gryffindor and proud of his house. Seeing the anger in his mother's eyes, he wondered for the first time if it would be worth it. "You will go now to the playroom. You will do lines until your fingers cramp, until your hands are so raw they bleed. With every word you write you will remember what being a true, proud Black means. _Toujours_ _pur_, Sirius, remember it well. "

* * *

It had been ages since any recreation had been completed in the Black family's 'playroom.' It was in this room Sirius and Regulus had received their lessons before Hogwarts and where punishments were usually served. And it was in the playroom, one night before, Sirius had spent hours and hours writing out passages from books members of his family had written full of pure-blood propaganda, and also the Black family code. His mother had been correct. Sirius certainly did think of his family with each word he'd painstakingly written in perfect script. Once again forced to see the truth, reminded that the whole lot of them had been Dark Art loving blood purists and completely crazy. Times like this he was not proud to be a Black; his punishment having the complete opposite effect of what his mother had sought. 

He missed his friends. He wanted to be back in school where none of this rubbish mattered. In Hogwarts he was surrounded by friends who liked him despite of all the faults his parents would list whenever given a chance. His world at Hogwarts was filled with friendship and laughter; his world at home with family obligations and formality. Two very different worlds that constantly clashed with each other; there were so many instances he was in trouble at home because of something he'd pulled with his friends, yet he needed these friends, the mischief they played, to stay strong.

Of course Sirius was capable of getting in trouble on his own without any help from his friends. Right now he was getting ready to serve his punishment for just such a thing -kissing Leila in his aunt's and uncle's garden. They had arrived at the Ministry of Magic via one of the spacious fireplace-like portals. The moment Sirius and his father stepped out numerous witches and wizards were Apparating behind them bustling by in a hurry. Sirius was dressed in stiff formal robes. The robes themselves weren't stiff; made of the finest fabric; it was that Sirius felt stiff in them. They made him feel constrained, as if he had to act snobbish and like his father when wearing them.

Sirius's father worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, level two of the Ministry. Orion Black had an important, cushioned job – with a lot of power and little actual responsibility. Orion spent most of his time ensuring that matters and ideas he considered important –that were in his self-interest- were being dealt with, and doing all he could to prevent anything that did not benefit pure-bloods, even when it didn't overlap with his Department.

Sirius noticed a lot of the wizards and wizards greeted his father in a hurried manner, eyes never quite meeting Orion's and these people never so much as glanced at Sirius. Clearly they were wary of his father and by Orion's demeanor, Sirius knew he expected this sort of royal treatment in the halls of his work from those he deemed inferior. Once they actually entered inside the area where his father's office was located, quite a few wizards (no witches) approached them; these men shook his father's hand and were very interested in Sirius and why he was present.

"Blimey, is that your son?" The words came from an overly enthusiastic twenty-something year old carrying a black leather-bound book.

"Yes, this is Sirius. Sirius, this is my _assistant,_ Greg." There was a distinct emphasis on assistant and Greg did not miss it because he sobered up quickly giving Sirius a formal nod.

"I've an important meeting to attend to."

"Yes, yes, sir! In the Harper room. I was hoping-"

"Greg, I'll need you to look after my son."

"After your son? The meeting, sir, I thought-"

"There'll be other meetings. Sirius needs supervision. Set him up in my office. Have him write out neatly my itinerary for the month; he's underage, no magic."

"This may be out of line, sir, but one of your secretaries could do that with a swish of her wand."

"If I want your opinion I'll ask for it. I want my son to _handwrite_ it. It will familiarize Sirius with the sort of responsibilities and names of people I deal with."

"Very good, sir. This way, Sirius."

Sirius mentally prepared himself for what was sure to be a monotonously boring day. He was already sick of lines in general from the other punishment. He never wanted to see a quill and parchment ever again. This busy work was, however, the better alternative to being brought to the meeting.

Orion's office was medium sized and only minimally decorated. The only personal adornment was the Black Family crest that hung on the wall. Greg did not sit Sirius at his father's large ebony desk with the comfortable leather chair, but at the smaller desk with the wooden chair. Sirius had a feeling this was the desk Greg used. Greg tonelessly explained Sirius the task, handing him the messily written appointment book he was to copy neatly. Greg looked miserable at being reduced to a mere babysitter. It had probably taken him years to work up to the position he now held

"I need to – fetch- something," Greg stated nervously. He'd been pacing the room watching Sirius's slow progress.

"I won't run off," Sirius said.

"Hmmm," Greg murmured. He did not sound reassured, but whatever pressing matter must have been important. As soon as he was alone, Sirius threw down his quill. He hadn't been lying; he wasn't going to run off, but that didn't mean he'd do actual work either.

There were two windows in the office, the curtains both drawn, Sirius stood walking toward it, wanting to open it. Let in some light. His father and mother kept Grimmauld Place in semi-darkness most of the time. Sirius wrenched it open only to find it was – raining?

"Enchanted windows," a voice drawled. "If they are having a gloomy day, it seems we all must suffer."

Sirius turned to see Lucius Malfoy, engaged to his cousin Narcissa, entering the room.

"Sirius, it's simply splendid to see you."

"Lucius, how are you?" Sirius said with forced politeness.

"Busy. Very busy. Where is your father?"

"A meeting."

"I must speak with him, but it can wait. It is a happy coincidence to bump into you. Going into fifth year now?"

"Yes."

"From what Severus tells me, I wouldn't get high hopes on being made Prefect."

"You still speak to Snivellus?" Sirius asked with a laugh. Snape was the same age as Sirius and in Slytherin; a slimy, greasy haired boy, who was famous in school for his interest in the Dark Arts. Simply put, Sirius and James did not get along with Snape. They had clashed with Snape on their very first day on the train to Hogwarts, and their dislike had grown exponentially over the years.

"Talented boy – sadly though his blood is lacking. Useful though."

"No one could pay me enough to accept the position of Prefect."

"You'll have to grow out of your troublemaking tendencies eventually. No matter, though, you still have all the qualifications they are looking for."

"They?" He'd taken the bait.

"A group I am acquainted with."

"Death Eaters?"

"Splendid. You've heard of them?"

_Who hadn't, unless you were locked away in a broom closet?_ Voldemort, the man who headed the 'the cause' was also assumed to be leader of the Death Eaters. The term 'Death Eaters' had begun sneaking into more and more stories in the _Daily Prophet_ over the past year – all suspiciously related to the mysterious disappearances and murders; and thus in more and more daily conversations.

"Voldemort's lackeys? Yes, I've heard of them."

"Lord Voldemort or the Dark Lord, if you prefer," corrected Lucius. "Show some respect, boy."

"He's done nothing to earn my respect."

"He is finally doing what our ancestors started long ago. Protecting the interest of pure-bloods. Ensuring our survival – that our traditions and laws will stay intact – not diluted by filth – by Mudbloods who do not deserve a place in our society."

"And killing them all is the answer?"

"Who said anything about killing them? Putting them in their proper place, yes. They should be serving us."

"It's wrong."

"It's not right or wrong. It must be done for the greater good of all witches and wizards. I want to offer you a membership. You'll be sixteen soon the age of induction. It will be expected of a Black to join, and as heir it is your responsibility to fulfill that expectation. You'll be given a spot- you won't even have to compromise those Gryffindor morals – just your allegiance. Eventually your loyalty will be tested, but by then I'm sure you'll have a taste of the power and will be more than willing to do whatever is required to keep it."

"Have you told your boss that you're a Death Eater?"

Lucius laughed. "Did I ever say I was? I'm just passing along information. Think of the future. 'The cause' is gaining strength – be on the winning side. Think about it and we shall speak again."

Greg entered the room mumbling and almost dropped the stack of papers he was holding when he saw Lucius. "Mr. Malfoy! Dear me – can I be of assistance?"

"No, no. Young Sirius was more than helpful. Do think over what we spoke of, Sirius. Good day.'

Greg opened the door to let Lucius out. Lucius turned his eyes, gazing at Sirius in a calculating manner. He then left the room, though not before giving Greg a condescending smile.

Greg turned on Sirius. "Your father will be back soon. What have you accomplished so far?"

Sirius shrugged and poor Greg paled at his progress. "That's all you've done"

"I was entertaining Lucius. Surely my father would have been angrier if I had rebuffed him to simply copy down a schedule."

"Be as that may, please sit and continue."

Sirius complied and Greg did not stray from the office after that. His father returned from the meeting with a bundle of other menial tasks for Sirius to do once he finished the schedule. After lunch which Greg brought to them – Sirius wished his father had allowed him to go to the cafeteria – Sirius was allowed an unsupervised bathroom break.

Walking to the bathroom, his mind was going over the conversation with Malfoy. He was still astounded that Lucius would be so frank in his offer; that Lucius even believed he would give such a thing a second thought. In front of him two old men were walking at such a snail pace, he felt he'd never reach the bathroom. Their slow pace was driving Sirius crazy; _what was so bloody hard about putting one foot in front of the other?_ The two men were approaching a corner and Sirius picked up his speed to pass them. As he turned, he collided straight into another person coming the other way, causing the poor witch to drop the pile of folders she'd been carrying.

The witch looked very flustered. Not only were the folders scattered, but the papers inside the folders as well. "Merlin's beard, what a mess!"

"I'll help you," someone near her offered. The voice of the bystander had a familiar ring and he was already helping the witch pick up her things.

Without glancing at the witch or the other person, Sirius bent down as well to help; after all it had been his fault really. Handing over the stack of papers he had collected to the red-faced witch, Sirius finally looked at the helpful bystander and a smile instantly lit his face. "James!"

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading. I've had an awful few days…leaving a review will make me feel better ;) 


	2. Summer's End

A/N: I'm very sorry for the delay in chapter two. At the end of October I had some very difficult changes in my life occur. As I'm sure you understand that while dealing with all those things, fanfiction was far from my mind. I'm dealing with things and I realized I missed writing this story and fanfiction in general, so I'm back and hopefully updates will be regular. Thanks for understanding and enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter Two: Summer's End**

"Sirius!"

The two best friends embraced, clasping each other on the back. The witch they had helped gather her stuff had already hurried on her way.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius asked. James was the last person he'd expected to run into the Ministry. Sirius's mood was lifted considerably.

"My Dad and I are on our way to talk to the owner of the Tornadoes. They know each other from their Hogwarts days. Something urgent came up, so my Dad had to make a quick stop here."

Sirius's mood dampened slightly. The close relationship James had with his father was something Sirius had always envied. It was a childish longing. After all he was _fifteen_, top of his class in pretty much everything, had a close group of friends, popular among his classmates – especially female – it should have been enough. Usually it was enough - he thought of his friends as brothers as it was - still, through the Potters, he'd seen what a family could be like.

"I can ask my dad if you can come along. I don't see why not," James offered, sensing exactly what had been bothering Sirius.

"I can't. I'm here as punishment, so I'm not supposed to be enjoying myself."

"Ahhh…so they found the posters? Did you end up putting the Muggle girls up as well?"

"Yes and yes. I'm not here for that though…"

"So why are you being punished?" James asked.

Sirius explained what had transpired between him and Leila Yaxley.

"I can't believe - and with her father and your father right there!" James sounded very impressed. Sirius shrugged, grinning mischievously. He was known for his recklessness.

"Was she any good?"

"It was an excellent kiss."

"Shame then."

"Why?"

"Do you believe she'd give you the time of day after embarrassing her in front of her father?"

"You underestimate my charm. I'm not interested any way, not when my parents want me to marry her." Sirius paused. "What about your love life? Has little Victoria been owling you?"

James groaned. "Yes, weekly."

Little Victoria Dekker wasn't really that little any longer. She was only a year under them in Gryffindor, and had been infatuated with James nearly her whole life. The Potters and Dekkers were old family friends, and unfortunately for James, this did nothing but encourage a union between their children. Victoria had grown into an attractive girl, not stunning like Leila Yaxley, but nice looking. However, James only looked at her as an annoying younger relative.

"Do you think she'll ever give up?" Sirius asked.

"I'm starting to think she only does this to annoy me…" James stated hopefully.

Sirius laughed. James was actually quite right. Victoria wasn't 'in love' with James anymore; she still liked James. The owling, stalking him at Quidditch practices and bothering him in the hallways was now done more for fun than anything. And Victoria still genuinely did enjoy James's company, so she didn't see any reason to stop. Last year Victoria had told Sirius this in the strictest of confidences and Sirius, entertained by it was well, didn't see the harm in not telling his best mate.

"I wouldn't be too sure."

James groaned again. "How about you ask Victoria out on a date? She'll fall madly in love with you and forget I exist."

Sirius pretended to look horrified.

"And you won't even have to ask her on a second date…just get her to realize I'm not the only fish in the sea."

"No, thanks mate. She's all yours."

"Some friend you are. Anyway, your parents haven't backed out on letting you come the week of the fourth, have they?"

"No. What about Remus and Peter? Are they both still coming?"

Sirius's parents screened the letters he received, so he had little contact with his friends over the summer. Luckily because of a gift from Peter in their second year, James and Sirius could communicate between two-way mirrors.

"Remus can only stay the first two days. He said relatives from Denmark are visiting. I'm still not sure about Peter."

"At least we can continue with Operation Furry Little Problem once Remus leaves. I really hope Peter can make it then."

Operation Furry Little Problem was code for their project of becoming Animagi; illegal Animagi. In their second year, Sirius, James and Peter had discovered Remus's secret. After learning Remus was a werewolf and how horrible the transformation was for their friend, they had begun strategizing ways to help him. Obviously the best solution would be to find a 'cure.' Then they had uncovered the fact that werewolves were only a danger to humans and not animals, and if they transformed into animals they could theoretically keep Remus company on full moon nights.

They had not been able to keep their idea secret for long. At first Remus had been shocked and then angry. _It was too dangerous…too many things could go wrong…and if they were caught, the ramifications would be severe._ It had taken a lot of assurances and after they had shown Remus they were taking it seriously, going over the steps slowly, and researching fully, he had warmed up to the idea. Now almost three years had passed and they were very close to their goal. Remus had refused to help them in any shape or form – feeling his being the reason for this was egging them on enough; though at times they had tricked him into helping them decipher something by pretending it was for an essay or an assignment.

"I did tell Peter in the last letter I sent that we want to work on you-know-what. He does need all the help he can get," James said.

"I need to get back before my father starts looking for me."

"Right. I've the mirror on me, so if you get bored later…"

"Left home without it," Sirius said. "You'll be too busy salivating over the Tornado players anyway…"

James grinned. "I'll get you an autograph."

"Later, mate."

Sirius first did use the bathroom before returning back to his father's office. When he returned his father had another meeting to attend to – this time he wanted Sirius there. The worst part, for Sirius, was how he had to be seen, yet not heard, and at the same time if anyone did ask him a question, he had to be prepared with an answer that would make him sound intelligent, polite, and well-bred.

The men in the meeting were all as stuck-up as his father. Sirius gladly returned back to the tedious tasks in his father's office when the meeting was complete. The rest of the week was similar to his first day – without the pleasant surprise of running into James. After five days, Sirius's punishment was complete, and Sirius had come to the conclusion he would never follow his father into the Ministry.

* * *

Peter trailed after his mother, keeping his eyes straight forward. He hated cemeteries; he was terrified of them. His cousin had told him when he was ten that stray, lonely ghosts would sometimes latch on to strangers that visited graveyards and haunt them for eternity. Peter was ninety-nine percent positive that his cousin had been pulling his leg, but he still didn't like risking it and was careful not make eye contact with any of the tombstones.

Peter's mother suddenly stopped, having reached their destination. His baby sister, only a year old, had died at the beginning of his third year at Hogwarts. Peter's mother placed a bunch of withered flowers she'd picked from their unkempt garden. The flowers looked abandoned on the dark gravestone, a reflection of how Peter and his mother felt, for they too were all alone. It was just the two of them now. His father had left barely a year after the death of his daughter. He'd spoken to Peter before he'd vanished. Peter's father had explained he couldn't take it any longer and that it was now Peter's duty – at the age of thirteen – to take care of his mother. Peter understood his father's despair; his little sister would have been the perfect child, unlike Peter. Even sickly and only a year old, Peter could tell she would have been a great witch – not mediocre in any way.

This summer Peter had been helping his mother run her sweet shop. It was their only income now and it kept Peter's mother occupied while he was away at Hogwarts. It was unfortunate the week Sirius had planned to visit James had fallen on the week of the anniversary of his sister's passing. Peter had not the heart to request being allowed to stay over at James's. He knew his mother would have agreed; she already felt guilty about making him work during his vacation, but Peter couldn't leave her. This was a hard week for his mother and he was all she had.

Right now while Peter was offering silent comfort to his mother, James and Sirius were probably working on becoming Animagi. _He really should have asked his mother to visit James though, _he told himself for the hundredth time. He would have benefited from any help his friends could give him as Peter was already a step behind James and Sirius. Part of the problem was his friends could only help him to a point; a lot of the journey was solitary. They could coach him on the enchantment and brew the Revealing Potion, but in the end Peter would have to find it in himself.

Hidden in his room at this very moment was half a bottle of the Revealing Potion; he'd taken it already four or five times. Over the summer, even after finding a quiet area and using all his concentration, he had not felt that feeling he was supposed to feel – the one described in their various books. Every person felt something different, but it was a feeling of fulfillment and understanding; all Peter had felt was frustration and nervousness.

The Revealing Potion didn't reveal your true form literally, simply to your unconscious mind. It was all very complicated and Peter had a hard time deciphering it all. Peter knew he only had three more doses of the Potion left – if he didn't manage to successfully do it – it would greatly set them back. The Potion took four months to brew and called for twenty different, nearly impossible to find ingredients. He could still recall that day the three of them had decided to start that venture and how they'd sworn that no one would be left behind; they'd all become Animagi or none of them would. At times he still half-wished that James and Sirius would one day sit him down and tell him that they were just going to go on with it, yet at the same time could not handle the idea of being left out. Regardless, he was the one holding them back and he hated himself for it.

* * *

Regulus had just returned from his aunt and uncle's house. His mother and father had been away at the conference and Sirius had been at the Potters. Regulus entered the kitchen area, cringing at the raised voices. The loud voices should have not surprised him as there was always more yelling and fighting whenever Sirius was home. The tensest times in the Black household were when Sirius returned home from Hogwarts and from the Potters. As it was now the latter, Sirius would be ready to make it clear that he enjoyed spending time with the Potters more than his own blood; that he liked James more than his own brother. Their mother should have known to not rile Sirius with any pureblood talk; not now, with the blood-traitor doctrines of the Potter's, still fresh in Sirius's mind. Not that Sirius was any better; Regulus had come to the conclusion that Sirius to an extent enjoyed baiting their mother and father.

His brother was a conundrum; Regulus had tried to understand Sirius's point of view, but was unable to. Why did it bother Sirius so much that they cared about looking after their own kind – pure-bloods? It all made sense to Regulus. What was wrong about having proper wizarding pride? What was wrong about looking after your self-interest? The Mudbloods had been doing it; lobbying for years for equal treatment. The magical community was being diluted and fixing that problem was more important than individual rights and freedoms of any one. What rights did the Mudbloods really have anyway? Was it not enough that they were allowed to enroll at Hogwarts? Now they were taking away jobs from pure-bloods - whose ancestors had worked hard to protect their traditions, culture, and magical knowledge.

It was the ancestors of the Mudbloods that were responsible for forcing the magical community into hiding, hunting them down, burning them at the stake. They all knew if the Muggles had their way, all wizards and witches would be killed, or at the very least locked away and forced to do their biding; constantly badgered to fix this, fix that through magic. It was terribly dangerous to allow Mudbloods into Hogwarts because it was through these children that the gap between the wizard world and Muggle world narrowed. As the number of Mudbloods increased, as more and more Muggles learned magic existed through their relatives, and the likelihood all Muggles would learn of the Magical world's existence increased. And unfortunately the number of Muggles greatly outnumbered wizards – and though they did not have magic, Muggles had invented some devastating weapons that could endanger the magical world.

"You have no idea what you are saying, Mother. Muggle-borns are just as powerful as pure-bloods," Sirius insisted. It was an argument they'd had before. Regulus could almost mimic each side of the argument. "There's a girl in my year, and she's one of the top students."

Regulus knew Sirius was referring to Lily Evans; the Mudblood that Severus Snape desired. When it came to Snape, Regulus was in agreement with Sirius; he found the boy equally disagreeable. However Lucius Malfoy liked Snape, and though a half-blood, Snape was highly regarded in Slytherin. Snape was useful, his knowledge of curses and hexes outnumbered everyone; and he'd made enemies with Potter. No one in Slytherin liked Potter; partly because he was so conceited and his personality encompassed all the traits of a Gryffindor (these traits naturally clashed with Slytherin) – but mainly because since Potter had joined the Quidditch team in his second year, Gryffindor was now a force to be reckoned with. The Slytherin team could no longer assume they'd win the House Cup as they had for the past five years before Potter joined the team.

"Very unusual; that Mudblood must be a freak. You can't argue against Mudbloods being less powerful by that one pitiful example. Just because once in a blue moon a Mudblood is accidentally talented, does not mean the lot will be," Mrs. Black argued.

"Obviously not. It's the same with pure-bloods – some are more talented than others, but it has nothing to do with blood. It's just one of those things."

"It has all to do with blood. Just look at our history - most, if not all, of our magical advances have been made by pure-bloods."

"Only because pure-bloods have been holding the Muggle-borns back."

"Just look at your friend, Lupin."

There was a terrible silence. If there was one way to guarantee Sirius's anger, it was to bring up one of his friends, and if you wanted to go the extra mile, insult them. Sirius's loyalty to his mates bewildered Regulus. How could Sirius be so loyal to his friends while so easily dismissing the same loyalty he should have given his own family?

"What about Lupin?" Sirius growled.

"Father a pure-blood – not an old family, pure nothing less, married a Muggle-born and look how their child turned out. Always ill…scraggly looking…and you know why? Bad blood!"

"That has nothing to do with that. That isn't why he's ill…"

"I see no contrary evidence. I've looked into his medical records."

"You what?" There was fear in Sirius's voice. Regulus wondered if he was hiding something about his friend.

"Oh, yes. I looked into the background of all your mates awhile ago. I had to know about the riffraff you were spending time with. The Potters, I was already very aware of…and the Pettigrews really had nothing interesting there…but the Lupins…At the age of four your friend was admitted 'seriously injured' to St. Mungo's; yet any record besides that bit of information has vanished. Very peculiar."

"I'm sure the records were just lost."

"No, it looks like someone deliberately took them. I've spoken to various people abut the Lupins and they all agree that there's something _funny_ about your friend."

"He's just ill…there's nothing suspicious or strange about it…"

"I did stop digging around. At the time I didn't really see any profit in going deeper. If I were you though, I wouldn't want to give me any reason to start looking further into things."

_Blackmailing…charming, Mother_, Regulus thought to himself. His mother had attempted this strategy before and it only worked to an extent. Regulus decided it might be best to diffuse the situation and entered the room. Sirius turned his head, his grey eyes blazing with anger. He saw no ally in Regulus's presence.

"Ah, Regulus. Take a seat, diner will be served soon."

"Regulus, the good son," Sirius murmured sarcastically under his breath.

Mrs. Black must have heard her older son's words because she added, "That's right. Not only the good son, Sirius, but the better one. Start shaping up, show some proper wizard pride, and act more like your brother and I'll leave your little friend alone."

Regulus smiled tightly at his mother. He had mixed feelings about his mother using him in comparison. On one hand he craved any compliment from his mother as he rarely received them; yet on the other hand he felt the compliments weren't fully earned, since they were only spoken in hopes of getting Sirius to behave. If only his mother and father would give up on Sirius, would be satisfied just with him – but Sirius was the eldest and the child that mattered.

"Regulus has righted all your wrongs, Sirius. He was sorted into Slytherin. He's made friends with the right people, not blood-traitors. He shows a proper interest in the Dark Arts. He's actually proud to be part of this family. And we don't receive loads of detention notices about him."

"Regulus is weak. He doesn't think for himself, he just laps up all your pureblood nonsense," snapped Sirius.

Regulus wanted to argue. He wanted to shout at Sirius that he hadn't been given the choice. Sirius hadn't seen the effects of his rebellion. He hadn't witnessed their mother's reaction to learning her heir had been sorted in Gryffindor and was slowly turning his back on all the values their family held. Regulus had to do what he was told; their mother would have been unable to take another son's rebellion. Sirius had hurt their mother's heart and Regulus would do whatever he could to repair it.

"Enough, Sirius! Now I want silence until your father arrives," Mrs. Black said coldly.

"Yes, Mother," Regulus replied. Sirius stayed stubbornly silent. Regulus looked away. Meals like this were becoming typical in their house; every year the arguments growing worse and worse.

Orion Black entered the room. Regulus rose to his feet; as did Sirius, but not without a moment of hesitation – to demonstrate he wasn't showing respect willingly. Orion nodded as he took a seat, and the family fell into a stiff polite conversation.

* * *

Severus skulked through the deserted streets near his house in Spinner's End. He was walking back from meeting Lily Evans and he wished he had a solid reason not to return home to his bedroom. His room was not the most welcoming of spaces, with a small twin bed, lumpy mattress, and bare walls besides one Slytherin banner.

Lily and Severus had met for lunch in a small quaint café. Hogwarts was starting soon, and their letters had arrived. Lily excitedly relayed him the news that she had been appointed Gryffindor prefect.

"So when are you free to go to Diagon Alley to buy our books?" Snape asked.

Buying their books together had been a tradition for them since that first summer that they had both received their letters. He longed to spend some more time with Lily. Severus's summer had been dull and boring and completely lacking of the company of Lily. On request of her parents Lily had found a job; babysitting a two year old and five year old from nine in the morning until two in the afternoon.

Snape had been busy too, helping his mother out in the Potions Shop. Ordinarily Snape enjoyed preparing and brewing potions, but so often did the days he worked fall on the days Lily had off that he felt an invisible being in the sky was laughing at his misery. It all came down to Severus not spending nearly enough time with Lily. Summer vacation had always been a time for their friendship to reconnect; Hogwarts tended to separate them as they'd been sorted into rival houses. Sometimes he wished to go back to their pre-Hogwarts days when Severus had been Lily's only source about the magical world. He could no longer impress her with bits of knowledge.

"Oh – well – I already promised my roommates I'd meet up with them." She paused looking at him directly. He tried to keep his face stony. "Why don't you come along?"

There it was suddenly - the gap between them that grew larger as each year passed.

Severus envisioned the pack of silly giggling girls that panted after boys like Sirius Black and James Potter. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"You're my friend-" she began.

"Best friend," he corrected.

"Best friend, and they are my friends. It would be nice if you all got along."

It took effort not to laugh in her face. Snape wanted to tell Lily that she was being naïve. He had nothing in common with a shallow group of girls; especially a shallow group of _Gryffindor _girls. Her friends had been many times in the group of spectators laughing while Potter or Black tormented him.

"It's fine. I'll go alone or find someone else to go with."

"Severus," she said, "don't be like this.

"Lily, what would you say if I invited you to go with my roommates?"

"Your friends don't think I deserve to lick the mud off their boots!"

This was not the first time Lily had admonished his choice in friends, and he used the term 'friends' very loosely. Snape wanted recognition and power – and to be successful in Slytherin those were the sorts of people he needed on his side to rise up.

He needed Lily to understand his side of things.

"Are your friends any better? Have they not been trying to get you to drop our friendship since our first year at Hogwarts?"

Lily stayed quiet; it was the truth after all. "I haven't listened, have I?"

Severus looked into her green eyes. His breath caught in his throat. His greatest fear was that one day she would listen – that out of nowhere she'd suddenly stop speaking to him, ignore his existence as so many Hogwarts students did– and then his life would fall into bleakness. He feared it was only a matter of time.

He should have explained to her how much her friendship mattered. He should have told her how deeply he cared for her, but as usual he left the most important things unsaid. They had gone on to other topics, but there was a definite coolness between them.

As Severus entered his house his mother called to ask where he had gone. He did not mention seeing Lily. Eileen Prince, Snape's mother, did not approve of his friendship with Lily – perhaps she even suspected his feelings ran deeper. Eileen blamed all of her problems on the Muggle she had married, Tobias Snape. Eileen still felt if she hadn't fallen madly in love (something Snape couldn't understand by the looks of his father now), she would have either been successful in a career or perhaps married into money. Eileen felt Lily would do the same for Severus; getting into a romantic relationship with her would hinder him. Eileen had been a Slytherin herself; she had known all about the stock many of those people put into purity of blood.

It was his mother who had taught him all those curses, hexes, and spells before Hogwarts. She'd known he'd be disadvantaged as a half-blood in Slytherin.

In his room Snape picked up the paper with notes he'd been scribbling. Last week he'd begun working on a spell of his own making. All words had a certain amount of energy or magic in them; and in order to invent a spell one needed to not only know the energy, but understand how to harness it.

Inventing spells was a scarcely known branch of magic. It was not as difficult as people suspected, but still a very time consuming, meticulous task; and was not something to attempt without first knowing about word energies. See, not all words had energy that was stable enough to be used in a spell. Then some words were stable alone, but not with another word. Other words appeared not to be stable at all until attached to a specific word. It took a lot of work, memorization, and a bit of luck to learn which letters and syllables should be placed together. Once that was accomplished, one had to learn how to harness the energy to do what you wanted, which was no simple task.

Snape had always been interested in control, being able to control your enemy, deny him the very personal human right of movement. He knew of the 'Unforgivable Curse' that allowed the caster to force its victim to do whatever the caster pleased. Snape had nothing against the spell, but he didn't want to risk using it under the nose of the Headmaster – who was vehemently against anything that even slightly crossed the line toward the Dark Arts.

Snape sat down. He'd already picked the word – corpus. A stable word usually – not too high energy – it fit with a lot of words. He tried a dozen prefixes in front of it, but every prefix he'd tested so far had failed. At this point he was not checking if the actual spell worked, but if the energy of the words fit. There was one more of the list. He wrote the word out on the enchanted parchment:

'Levicorpus.'

Snape swished his wand around; he didn't have to worry about the underage magic law – their house was considered magical. The word turned green, blue, and then red. Severus felt a rush of accomplishment. The words fit together; the energy was stable, so now he just needed to find something or better yet, _someone_ to test it on…

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading, now do the right thing and leave a review ;) 


	3. Mrs Potter's Cookies

_**Author's note: Sorry for the lack of update – I'm not giving up on this story though. Here's the next chapter!**_

* * *

**Chapter 3 - **_**Mrs. Potter's Cookies**_

It was pouring. Large drops of water were falling from the menacing dark sky; plummeting down to earth, splattering on the pavement, the stalled train, and drenching the young witches and wizards returning to Hogwarts.

"James, promise you'll write to us tomorrow-"

"I will, Mum."

The Potter family was huddled under an umbrella that they had enchanted to hover over them. The few areas by the train station that had awnings overhead were overtaken with first years and their families. James was taking advantage of the rain to say goodbye to his folks sooner than he'd anticipated. He loved them dearly, but their affection could sometimes be smothering.

"Perhaps you could cut down the detentions? We don't expect miracles, but maybe lessen it to half from last year, son?" Mr. Potter asked. His hair which had been as dark as his son's was now grey, but as full as in his youth.

"Well – I'll try," James answered. It was an impressive feat for anyone to elicit any guilt from James about his tendency to cause trouble and thus earn detention. James couldn't imagine any other father requesting, not that their son not get into any trouble – just lessen it, which would still be more than most students received. His parents were indulging and James was aware of this fact.

"Wish Sirius well for us and Remus also, and tell Peter we're sorry we didn't see him this summer and give them the-" Mrs. Potter rambled.

"I will!" James hugged his mother once more. "See you at Christmas."

"Take care, James," his parents called together.

James sprinted toward the Hogwarts Express using the full length of his legs. It was no use – even the fastest person in the world would have been soaked in seconds. Inside the train finally, James looked back, barely being able to discern his parents from the other huddled masses through the curtains of rain. James waved one last time, and then dried himself off with a flick of his wand.

James was glad to going back to Hogwarts and be amongst his peers again. James was sociable by nature, and during the summer he missed not being constantly around other people his age.

A student exiting a compartment a few down from where James stood called out, "Good summer, Potter?" It was Terry Keeler, a dark skinned boy, tall and thin, known for his clumsiness and his guitar playing. He was one out of James's six dorm mates.

"All right. You?"

"Went by too bloody fast. Do you know who made prefect? It's Evans for the girls. I know it's not me or Newbell."

Derek Newbell was another of James's roommates. His three mates, Sirius, Remus, and Peter also shared the dorm with them.

James shrugged; it had slipped his mind completely that prefects were being – or had already been – selected for their year.

"Not me or Sirius, which leaves-"

"Pettigrew or Lupin."

"Yea," James agreed thoughtfully. He'd been in contact with both over the past week and neither had mentioned it. James doubted it was Peter; he didn't have the resilience needed for the job. Was it Remus? One of their gang had been elected prefect?

"There goes my sister. I need to remind her about something…see you at the feast," Keeler said.

"Yea, ok."

James began making his way down the train. He wasn't seeking a specific compartment, just as long as it was in the back area of the train. Finally reaching the part of the train that James considered to be far enough back, he slid open one of the compartment doors to find Derek Newbell and Jamie Gordon. They were interlocked in a kiss, or in a more appropriate description - eating each other's faces in a rather repulsive manner.

James backed out of the compartment, not bothering with uttering an apology. The couple hadn't even noticed him, which on further contemplation, might have been intentional. At the end of last year Derek's kissing skills had come into question. Derek probably hoped James would report to his friends what he had witnessed and that it would spread around the school dispelling any rumor that Derek still lacked in the kissing department.

Of course, just because Jamie was allowing Derek to kiss her didn't automatically mean Derek had improved. Now James didn't usually put much thought into another male's ability to kiss, but there was more to the story. It had all started because the Gryffindor girls in their year had decided to play a game called 'Truth.' One of the questions posed to all the girls was which boy had given them their 'best kiss.' Jamie Gordon (the same Jamie who had just been kissing Derek) had revealed that her 'best kiss' had been by Sirius.

Word had gotten around about this proclamation and it wouldn't have ordinarily been a big problem except Jamie had been already going out with Derek at the time for a few months (and it was only natural assumption that the two of them had kissed).

So upon hearing this Derek became rather humiliated; especially when rumors began spreading that he was a horrible kisser. Instead of blaming his girlfriend, who did nothing to alleviate the rumors, Derek turned on Sirius. Sirius really wasn't at fault since the kiss between Jamie and Sirius had occurred before Derek and Jamie had been going out. James felt that Jamie should have used better discretion in answering the kissing question.

Since Derek blamed Sirius for this particular problem, a coolness had settled between them. Derek had started glaring daggers at Sirius from a distance and then began ignoring him completely whenever they were within a few feet of each other. This had caused some tension to arise between the six roommates and as expected they had all taken sides. Derek and Terry on one side and James, Sirius, Remus and Peter on the other side.

The tension had interrupted their 'live and let live' atmosphere of the dorm. Derek and Terry had always turned a blind eye whenever James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were plotting pranks in the dorm. James hoped all bridges had been mended and that Derek wouldn't bring up the kissing matter again. With a new school year beginning, there would be lots of prank plotting, and James didn't want to have to worry about a snitch.

James moved on to the next compartment, and upon finding it empty, he stowed his trunk inside it. He returned immediately back to the corridor to hail his friends; they all should be arriving soon as the train would leave in a few minutes. Sure enough James spotted Sirius making his way down. His younger brother was in front of him and Regulus paused suddenly at a compartment five up from where James stood.

James couldn't make out their words, but from the gist of their expressions Regulus was trying to get Sirius to sit in a Gryffindor-free compartment.

Sirius finally getting agitated stated loudly, "Then lie to her! If you are so worried about _Mother_, then tell her I rode in your compartment! No one will know."

Regulus looked ahead, searching for words to berate his older brother, when his eyes took in James, he closed his mouth; the argument was over, Regulus knew he had no chance convincing Sirius with James nearby and disappeared into the compartment.

Sirius gestured rudely to the back of his brother, before smiling and waving at James. James looked over his friend carefully. Sirius was as downtrodden from the rain was everyone else, but somehow, as always, he made the look work for him. On closer inspection, Sirius looked a little paler than usual, but not as thin as when he'd come back from previous summers. James absentmindedly ran a hand through his own hair. He'd given up trying to get it to lie flat. Now he embraced the messiness – even ruffling it on purpose – and it had become habitual.

"All right, Sirius?" James asked.

"Yes, now that I'm away from that Merlin-forsaken house."

"Just think, if they don't make you come home for the winter holiday, you won't have to see them for-"

"Ten months…I've counted," Sirius said.

James helped Sirius put his trunk away in the compartment.

"Cheers, mate," Sirius replied lounging on one of the seats. "Mum pack any of those cookies?"

James rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm fine, Sirius, thanks for asking."

Sirius laughed. "I know you're fine. We spoke a few days ago, didn't we?"

"Common courtesy, didn't your mum teach you manners."

"Hmmm…well since you are a blood-traitor, I don't suppose, according to my dear Mother, any courtesy would be necessary…"

James laughed flinging the bag of cookies toward Sirius – his mother's cookies. They were a favorite among his friends and every student at Hogwarts who had tasted them. He'd lost count of the number of fellow classmates who had declared them 'the best cookies in the world' after one bite.

"So anything life changing happen since I talked with you?" Sirius asked him mouth full of cookies.

"Well, no-" James admitted peeking out of the compartment hoping to spot Remus or Peter.

"See, I knew it."

Though he didn't see Remus or Peter in the mess of students clamoring to find an open seat, Aidan Gallagher, Captain of the Quidditch team, since last year, was stepping out of the compartment across the aisle.

Aidan at least had the decency to greet him before asking, "Mrs. Potter make anymore of those cookies, Potter?"

"Help yourself. You better hurry or Sirius will have eaten them all."

Gallagher entered the compartment, taking a seat after wrestling away a few cookies. James took a seat as well.

"So I owled McGonagall over the summer…I was hoping she'd allow us to start practicing this week, but unfortunately she said she could not bend the rules for us. The rule doesn't make any sense. Why can't we practice the first week back? It isn't like we need to put a new team together – all we need is one Beater. After a whole summer, everyone will be rusty. If McGonagall wants us to win the Cup again this year, she should want us practicing as soon as possible," Gallagher grumbled.

"Right," James agreed. Though practices could be tiring and arduous, James couldn't wait for the Quidditch season to begin.

As the boys continued to discuss Quidditch, the compartment door opened and a slightly plump blonde-haired boy entered. "I've done it! I've done it!" Peter exclaimed and he stopped short seeing Aidan inside.

"Done what?" Aidan inquired interestedly.

"Er-" Peter stammered looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Snogged a girl," Sirius replied smoothly in Peter's stead. Peter colored, but Sirius's quick thinking did the trick. It wasn't as if they could tell Aidan that Peter had finally made advancement in his Animagus training.

Aidan, trying not to laugh, said, "Well, congrats I suppose."

Peter took a seat next to Sirius. "Oh! Cookies!" Peter cried, immediately forgetting about his moment of embarrassment. James carefully looked at Peter's robes – no prefect badge on there. The door slid open once more, and Remus Lupin entered, or at that moment his trunk, since it was being pushed in front of him.

James and Aidan jumped up to help Remus get his trunk on the rack above where they'd been sitting. Remus looked harried and tired – full moon was still two weeks away though, and he never showed symptoms this early. Remus straightened; he was the only one already in his school robes, and there pinned on his robe was a golden 'P.'

"Running late?" James asked.

"Yes, my mum was sick-"

There was a long pause of silence when James, Peter, and Sirius all stared at Remus with expressions of surprise. Before they had known Remus was a werewolf, during nights of the full moon, Remus had used the excuse of visiting an ill mother for his absences.

"No – she - _really_ is sick. I had to call all the children's parents she watches…"

Remus's mother owned a small daycare for magical toddlers. "Anyway it was a nightmare – all the mothers yelling at me like it was my fault."

Remus glanced down at his watch. "Bugger and I'm going to be late for the-"

"Prefect meeting," James supplied for him with a smirk.

"Prefect?" Sirius asked bewildered, and for the first time since he sat down discarding the bag of cookies. "You've been made prefect?"

Before Remus could reply, Olivia Pritchard, Keeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, was knocking on the door, a small first year with tears in her eyes clutching her hand. "Gallagher, your sister is looking for you."

Aidan stood up and little girl threw her arms around him and in the commotion of two other extra people in the compartment, Remus made his escape. "I'll be back in a bit!" he called. He disappeared down toward the beginning of the train where the prefect compartment was rumored to be located. James didn't know for sure – he'd never had any inclination to check it out.

Olivia left with Aidan and his sister, finally leaving the three friends alone.

"Prefect?" Sirius repeated, incredulous, his gaze on the spot Remus had stood. "You knew about this James?"

"Not until this morning."

"I figured Keller – even Newbell before one of us."

"I know," James agreed. Not that Newbell or Keeler had any specific leadership qualities that Remus lacked. In comparison to James and Sirius, Remus was very well-behaved, though that wasn't a difficult achievement. And Remus had plenty of times taken part in their 'marauding,' which was how they referred to their plans. It sounded so much more grownup than 'pranking.' Even if the Professors and Headmaster weren't aware of Remus's involvement since when Remus did involve himself he didn't get caught very often, it was still strange for them to consider anyone who was so closely associated with the two biggest troublemakers at Hogwarts.

"I can't believe he didn't tell us," Sirius said indignantly.

"I wouldn't have," Peter said.

"Why not?"

"As if you'll ever let him live this down."

"Of course we won't. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't tease him about it?" Sirius said with a grin. "It is, after all, our right as his friends." Sirius paused a moment. "Anyway I warned Remus about this. I told him his being 'the good boy' of the group would have repercussions."

"Well, most people see being elected prefect as something praiseworthy, Sirius," Peter said. "You know, having all those privileges."

"Such as?"

Peter thought for a moment. "The Professors trusting and respecting you."

"Ugh! Not something I'd want. Who would want that sort of worry and responsibility?"

"Being able to give out detentions," Peter added.

"Why would you want to give out detentions? It will just make everyone else mad at you," Sirius said

"How about use of the prefect bathroom?"

"Wow…a special bathroom…sign me up," Sirius replied sarcastically. "So Peter, if you'd been selected, you would have accepted?"

"Yea, I suppose so."

"How about you, James?"

"Nah. Though it would be quite cool to be able to put Snivellus in detention for just looking at me funny."

"I'd rather just curse Snivellus; much more satisfying," Sirius replied.

"Hmm…true," James agreed.

"Where is Remus anyway?" Sirius asked.

"Don't worry he can't hide from us forever," James said.

Remus could, however, prolong coming back to their compartment. It wasn't until forty-five minutes later that Lily Evans slid open the door to their compartment.

"Oh, it's just you lot," she remarked.

James suddenly felt his stomach flip – the sort of feeling he always got right before a flying onto the Quidditch pitch.

Remus appeared next to Lily looking a bit colored in the face.

"I offer my condolences on being elected prefect, Evans," Sirius stated somberly.

"Condolences?" Lily repeated, her eyebrows raised.

"I can't _imagine_ anyone _wanting _to be a prefect…just think of all the students targeting you and all the troublemakers you'll have to deal with…I don't envy the job ahead of you."

"Such as yourself?" Lily questioned.

"No worries about James and me. Remus will keep us in line. He already put me in detention for putting my feet on the seat. When's the detention again?"

"Friday, and you'll have one Saturday too if you don't stay quiet," Remus said, his tone too mild to be taken seriously.

"See, Evans. James and I will be whipped into shape in no time. Between you and me, I think the power has already corrupted him," Sirius said.

Lily turned to Remus, a perplexing look on her face. Remus shook his head. "Don't pay any attention to him, Lily."

James had not involved himself at all in the conversation. Instead, he found himself unable to tear his eyes off Lily. She had her auburn hair down – not in braids or in a pony tail like usual – her green eyes sparkled with an extra brightness. She'd grown and her body had developed since James had last seen her. Lily looked rested and healthy – the sprinkle of freckles along the bridge of her nose and cheeks stood out more than before. James had never given Lily anymore thought than any of the other Gryffindor girls in his year. He knew she was intelligent and a bit cheeky, and she didn't giggle or pay as much attention to his and his friends' antics as the other females at Hogwarts.

"What, Potter?" Lily asked. She'd noticed his attention.

"Er- nothing." James looked at Sirius in hopes that his friend could help him divert the fact he'd been staring. His eyes immediately took in the bag of cookies and he grabbed onto the subject. "Want a cookie?"

"A cookie?" she asked.

James nodded and motioned to Sirius who held out the bag toward her– now half full.

"We wouldn't poison you," Sirius said when he saw her hesitation. "Even though you are a prefect."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Black. Very kind of you." She removed a cookie and took a bite out of it. "These are really good. Who made these?"

"Mrs. Potter, of course!" Peter supplied. "After four years in Gryffindor you've never tasted them before?"

"No," Lily admitted.

"Blimey," Peter said. James had to agree with Peter. His mother owled packages of sweets and goodies, including these cookies, often enough throughout the years that it seemed impossible that anyone in Gryffindor (especially anyone in his year) hadn't tasted her famous cookies at least once.

Finished eating the cookie Lily turned to Remus and asked, "Are you returning to the prefect compartment or staying with this lot?"

James could see the wheels turning in Remus's head. He was debating whether it was better to face them now about being a prefect or delay it until the feast.

Remus hesitated for a moment and then replied, "I'm sitting with them."

"I can finish up with the last two compartments then. See you at feast." She was almost out the door when she looked back. "Thanks for the cookie."

"You're welcome, Evans," James said. Lily smiled at him and James's stomach flipped again. He wondered if anyone had noticed his strange reaction to Lily; it didn't appear they had.

Remus sat down with resignation. He gazed at them silently each in turn.

Though when no one uttered a sound, Remus said, "Pass the cookies, Sirius."

"Right away, sir!"

Remus caught the bag of cookies, but did not open it. "So, Peter, how was your summer? I barely heard from you."

"Busy, but boring. I helped my mum in the shop a lot."

Remus nodded and the silence around them widened.

Remus ate two cookies before he finally burst out, "Can you just get it over with already?"

"Get what over with?" James asked innocently.

"About me being prefect! Come on I'm prepared. Just get it out of your system. I'm ready."

"Oh, that…" Sirius said. "Congratulations."

"That's it? You're congratulating me?"

"Yes. What did you expect? For us to harp on you for keeping being a prefect a secret? Tease you for being the 'good boy' of the group? Ask you to put Snivellus in detention for the rest of the year?" James asked.

"Yes!"

"Sorry to disappoint you," Sirius said with a wide smile.

"Look I know I should have told you sooner I was prefect."

"Especially after we agreed we wouldn't have any secrets between us," Sirius chimed in.

"I wasn't sure I even wanted to be prefect…" Remus explained.

"Really? Why?" James asked in surprise.

"I was worried how it could complicate things. What if I have duties on the night of the full moon? What if someone notices the pattern? But my parents were so proud. They never believed I'd be admitted to Hogwarts after you-know-what, and to be elected prefect they said was a great achievement for – for my kind."

"No, it isn't a great achievement for _your_ _kind_," James said causing Remus to look up suddenly. "It's a great achievement for you, individually."

"That's right," Sirius agreed and Peter nodded his head vigorously.

"You know of all the possible scenarios I thought this conversation would go, I never imagined it to go this way… you three convincing me that I should be prefect," Remus said with a laugh.

"Well, it isn't like we don't have the entire year to tease you about it," Sirius stated.

"Just one very important question," James added.

"What?" Remus asked apprehensively.

"Would it be terribly inconvenient to put Snivellus in detention, say for the next two years?" James questioned, his voice in the perfect tone of innocence.

Remus pretended to give it some thought. "I don't think my prefect power could quite accomplish that."

"Oh well," James said looking disappointed. "A week perhaps?"

"Not unless he does something wrong. We do have to write a report for each detention we give out," Remus explained.

"I can arrange that." James grinned wickedly.

Remus groaned. It was going to be an interesting year.

* * *

_**Another's note: Thanks for reading! Leave a review and let me know what you liked and didn't like about the chapter!**_


	4. A Proposal

Chapter 4: A Proposal

"And she couldn't keep her hands off me." William Travers grinned. "Right there on the beach with everyone watching."

Severus Snape attempted to look interested in Travers's boasting. It was something he was used to dealing with. After the summer vacation, all the Slytherins tended to spend most of the train ride bragging, and swapping and comparing stories. Snape didn't bother competing with them; instead, he acted as if he were 'above' such frivolous endeavours.

"She was two years older than me too," Travers continued, enjoying the envious glances. All five of Snape's roommates were there: William Travers, David Avery, Rowan Mulciber, Zachary Wilkes, and Evan Rosier.

According to Travers, he'd had an intense summer romance with the seventeen-year-old daughter of a family friend – she didn't attend Hogwarts – on some exotic island. Travers certainly looked liked he'd spent his summer in the sun; his tanned skin brought out his blue eyes and complemented his blonde hair.

"Does she happen to have a sister?" Zachary Wilkes asked casually. He had his hands folded behind his head, and his new prefect badge glinted in the light.

"Yes, but she's a tad young for you," Travers replied with a laugh. "She's only eight."

"What about you, Snape? Get lucky with that Mudblood of yours?" Evan Rosier inquired.

Snape kept his face impassive. His roommates liked nothing more than to mock him about his infatuation with Lily. Of course, they saw it as one-sided lust, and Snape wanted to keep it that way. As long as they believed Lily was completely out of his league, they'd both be safe. After all, it wasn't the first time a wizard had been entranced by the wiles of a Mudblood female. Lily was his first friend, but it wasn't as if he could explain this to his Slytherin friends.

"Have you been with a girl lately Rosier?" Severus quipped back.

"Is your Mudblood holding out? She looks like a prude to me," Rosier said, not answering the question.

"We don't have contact – romantic or otherwise," Snape replied evenly. It wasn't an outright lie. He'd barely seen or spoken to Lily this summer.

"As it should be," Rowan Mulciber said, entering the conversation. Snape gave a slight nod of his head. Mulciber's dark eyes turned on Snape. "Don't waste your efforts on a Mudblood – there are dozens of purer, worthier girls. Though, we understand you have _needs_ Severus, and if Miss Evans can satisfy them, well . . ."

Everyone in the compartment but Severus made noises of agreement and approval. He knew his face was red in embarrassment. He didn't like hearing them speak of Lily in this crude manner – his Lily. She was an attractive girl; Snape was naïve to think no other male would notice.

"Good thing you are so adept at Love Potions, eh?" Rosier pointed out suggestively.

Wilkes looked Severus up and down. "He wouldn't need Love Potions if he stepped outside once in a while. Girls are alarmed by your paleness, Severus."

When Severus remained silent, Rosier spoke for him, "We all know Snape has more important things to do than lying in the sun."

"That's right," Snape replied. "I had a productive summer."

Snape was known for his extensive knowledge of curses and hexes, and he had continued advancing his knowledge over the summer. None of them knew, however, that he'd been working on inventing spells, and Snape couldn't wait to awe them.

"Well show us!" Wilkes demanded. The five occupants of the compartment looked at Snape with a mixture of eagerness, greed, and apprehension.

"Not here," hissed Snape.

"You don't have to worry about the prefects. I told them I'd take care of this compartment," Wilkes explained with a wave of his hand.

"Shouldn't you be patrolling?" Snape asked.

"Nah, Joanne Fin is Head Girl. She won't write me up." He named a seventh-year Slytherin.

"And Head Boy?"

"Jacob Long from Ravenclaw, and he won't interfere if he knows what's good for him."

"I'll show you tonight," Snape insisted, closing the subject.

* * *

"I think the amount of first years has doubled from last year," Remus Lupin said as he strode over to Lily. "This one wouldn't believe me when I said they'd be traveling to the castle by boats. He said I was lying and that he'd tell his older brother on me." 

Lily laughed. As the new Gryffindor prefects, they were supposed to make sure all the students got safely off the train, first years towards the boats and the rest of the students into the carriages.

The rain had subsided for the most part, but the sky was still threatening. She scanned the crowd, not looking for anyone in particular. Her eyes stopped suddenly on Potter and Black. The two of them were laughing at something – they were always laughing and always together. Her gaze stayed on Potter, shifting from his messy hair waving in the breeze to his lips curled in mirth . . . .

_Mary McDonald thought Potter had a cute butt..._

Lily shook her head – why on earth had her thoughts strayed to Potter like that? And now Remus was looking at her strangely. Had he noticed her longer-than-necessary gaze at Potter?

"I'm glad to be back at Hogwarts; aren't you?" he asked.

She nodded, thankful that he was too much of a gentleman to say anything about her staring at James.

"My sister Petunia can't understand it. She hates school."

"She goes to Hogwarts?" Remus asked in surprise.

"No, a Muggle school." She suddenly spotted Severus skulking in the crowd. She hadn't seen him on the platform or the train. Severus's eyes met hers, but he would not approach her while she stood there talking with Lupin. Severus had made enemies with Black and Potter the first day at Hogwarts – on the train ride – through an argument over Houses. Lupin was friends with Potter and Black, so that automatically made him Severus's enemy as well. "I see Severus. Do you mind? I haven't spoken with him in ages."

"Snape?" For the second time in a short period, Remus looked at her strangely. "Oh, right. Go ahead."

"We live close to each other. I knew him before Hogwarts," she said quickly, even though she didn't owe Lupin an explanation.

Lily walked toward Snape swiftly. He smiled as she drew closer. Snape didn't genuinely smile often, though she'd told him once how much friendlier and more approachable he looked when he did.

"Lily!" She felt the intensity of his eyes on her. "I missed you on the train."

"I know. All these prefect duties. They make the fifth years do most of the patrolling," Lily said. "Your mate Wilkes was already skiving duties."

"I know," Snape replied. "He was pretty confident he wouldn't be written up."

"He probably won't with Fin as Head Girl. No one was thrilled to hear she'd been appointed – apparently she's never taken her duties seriously."

"Gryffindors have always hated it when a Slytherin beats them at something…"

"It wasn't only Gryffindor prefects complaining, Sev," Lily retorted. She hated this. The rivalry between their Houses was always there, even if it went unspoken.

Lily felt herself being pushed into Snape as someone roughly walked by them. It was Leila Yaxley, and wherever she was headed, she looked very intent on her destination.

Severus opened his mouth to add something, but –

"Sirius Black!"

Lily and Severus weren't the only ones to look towards the voice. Lily was surprised to find that it was Leila Yaxley who had yelled the name. The din of the crowd lowered considerably; every student nearby was watching the scene with interest.

Black looked up, unconcerned, as if girls regularly yelled his name across crowds.

"Yes?" Black asked, crossing his arms.

Leila strode up right in front of him. "Because of you – because of what you did – my parents did not let me out of their sight for the whole summer! I couldn't leave the house without a chaperon!"

"Do you know what this is about?" Lily whispered to Severus.

"No," Snape answered back with a growl. Snape looked disappointed by her interest. After all, she wasn't like some of her friends, who lived on gossip.

"Are you sure it was because of me?" Sirius asked.

"Yes! Merlin, Sirius, my father likes to entertain the idea that I've never held hands with a boy – let alone kissed one!"

Lily glanced at Snape, and he reluctantly shared a smile.

"Can I offer another kiss in lieu of an apology?"

There was a sudden silence. Leila looked ready to slap Sirius, but she was so shocked by the audacity of his question that she could not move nor speak.

"No?" Sirius asked.

Leila's face was now turning rather stormy.

"Look, I did you a favour…."

"A favour?" Leila's voice rose.

"Now you can have a proper pureblood marriage. I'm a Gryffindor, a blood-traitor. Surely you've always expected a better match than that?"

"Did you ever stop to think I didn't care?"

It was Sirius's turn to be stunned into silence. However, he didn't have a chance to respond properly.

"Black, Yaxley, could you please continue your lovers' spat in the carriages?" Jacob Long, the Head Boy, had broken through the crowd.

Leila whirled around, disappearing into the mass of students, her friends pushing through everyone to run after her.

"Come on! Move it into the carriages," Long called out to everyone, and slowly, buzzing with new gossip, students complied.

"Did you know they were dating?" Lily asked Snape.

"They aren't," Severus snapped shortly.

"_Something_ went on between them . . . ." Lily murmured.

"If you care so much about it, why don't you just ask Black?" Snape questioned sourly. His face softened a little after a moment. "Let's go find a carriage –"

"Lily!" a group of girls squealed. Lily and Severus were suddenly surrounded by her group of friends, all chatting, hugging, and laughing. She could sense that Severus was growing uncomfortable as her friends pushed Snape to the side.

He started walking away. She ran after him, stopping him with a light hand on his shoulder. He looked startled by her touch. "I can't sit with you Severus. I need to hang back with the prefects to make sure no one is left behind." Snape looked so disappointed that she added, "We'll catch up later."

"Right," Severus muttered under his breath. He was gone without saying goodbye. She was losing Snape – their friendship slowly dissipating – and she didn't know what to do about it.

* * *

The Great Hall was adorned with splendour. The ceiling mirrored the night sky, hundreds of candles floated in the air, and the banners of the four houses hung proudly above each of the four tables. 

"I reckon she really likes you," James said to Sirius as they sat down beside each other at the Gryffindor table. Remus and Peter took seats across from them.

Sirius shrugged. He'd thought he'd taken care of the Leila situation over the summer. He wanted Leila to leave him alone, but at the same time, he couldn't hide from the fact that he'd been very disappointed that Leila hadn't taken his offer of a second kiss.

"I wish we didn't have to wait until after the sorting to eat," Peter complained. Sirius, James, and Remus shared a smile at Peter's comment; he said that same thing every year.

The first years entered and the annual sorting began. Sirius had a sudden flashback to his brother's sorting two years back. Regulus, with all the majesty of a proper Black, had strutted up to the chair, placing the hat securely on his head, and looked straight at Sirius as the Hat called "Slytherin!" Regulus had acted so smug and satisfied that first week of school whenever he and his brother had met. It had driven Sirius crazy, but if there was any competition for their parents' affection, it was all in Regulus's mind. Sirius didn't need his mother or father's approval, or at least he did whatever he could to convince others that he didn't care a wit about them.

Looking over at the Slytherin table, Sirius received an unwelcome surprise. Regulus was seated beside Snape, and they were conversing. He had never seen them acting so friendly before in public, though he wasn't privy to what went on in the Slytherin Common Room.

The last first year became a Hufflepuff, and Professor Dumbledore stood up, ready with his welcoming speech. It was quick, reminding students of the rules and introducing the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Keenan. The new teacher was in his mid-twenties, with dark hair and eyes, and he was dressed in casual wizard robes in stark contrast with the other Professors' formal wear.

"He looks like he could be fun," James murmured.

"Oh, he's so handsome!" a sixth-year girl seated next to Sirius whispered excitedly, and the girls around her giggled.

The food appeared on the table, and everyone began eating.

By the time the desserts appeared, Sirius was so stuffed that he couldn't properly enjoy the assortment of cakes and cookies. Then the same sixth-year girl who'd thought Professor Keenan was good looking handed him a folded note written on pale green paper.

"Who's this from?" he asked her suspiciously, but the girl said she didn't know. She was just passing the note along.

Sirius unfolded the note as discreetly as he could, though James leaned over so he could read it. Leila Yaxely wanted to meet after the feast in a not so well-travelled area of the first floor. All the students would be headed to their respective Houses, so they'd be very alone.

"Maybe she changed her mind about the kiss," James sniggered.

"From Yaxley?" Peter asked eagerly.

"Yes." His answer so soft that it was barely audible.

"She wants to meet Sirius _alone_ in a _dark_ corridor," James elaborated.

"You get all the luck," Peter said enviously. Peter was oblivious to the fact Sirius didn't look too keen on receiving this girl's attention.

"Are you going to meet her?" Remus asked.

"I don't know," Sirius replied crumpling the note in his hand.

* * *

At the welcoming feast, Severus was disappointed to find himself seated next to Regulus Black. It wasn't as if Snape had a choice; Rabastan Lestrange, a seventh year, had invited both of them into his circle of friends. 

Snape knew he should try to get along with Regulus, but he found Black to be as haughty and cocky as his older brother. The Blacks were strong allies with the Malfoys, and Lucius Malfoy, who'd graduated a few years ago, had taken an interest in Severus since his first year. Lucius would have expected him to be civil and polite to the boy. However, staying silent proved to be too much, and Severus couldn't stop himself from saying snidely, "I see your brother made a spectacle of himself again."

Regulus bristled, just as Snape had intended.

"Yaxely did as well," Lestrange interjected, surprising Snape, until he remembered that Rabastan's older brother Rodolphus had recently married Black's cousin Bellatrix, so it was only natural he'd be more concerned about the Blacks' standing. "She had better watch her behaviour, or her only suitor will be Sirius."

Lestrange waited a moment for someone to contradict his statement. No one did.

"How are things with you, Snape?" Lestrange asked. His change of topic made it quite clear there would be nothing more said about Sirius at the table.

"You live in a very Muggle-inhabited area, don't you?" Regulus asked. "How do you stand it? Living with all that filth? Who knows what you might have contracted?"

Regulus was being perfectly serious. He, like many pure-bloods, truly believed that Muggles were lesser beings. Snape agreed to a certain point. Just thinking of his Muggle father and Lily's sister . . . both idiots. Lily's Muggle parents, whom Snape had met on occasion weren't as awful as his father, but their naiveté made them weak. Though Severus lived in a poor neighbourhood, he was among the richest and elitist of the wizarding world. It was not hard for Snape to agree with his Housemates' disdainful views of Muggles because he came across so many Muggles who were definitely not excellent examples of the human race. After all, having magic made wizards stronger and more powerful, so did this not also make them the better race?

"It is difficult, but I manage," Severus answered stiffly. "And Muggles do have their uses . . . ." He let the sentence hang.

Rabastan grinned widely. "They sure do."

"But surely you can't do magic – you're underage, and with all those Muggles around . . . the Ministry would never allow it," Regulus protested.

"Ah, but my house is considered magical. Inside I can do all the magic I want. My Mum has no qualms, so it's just a matter of luring the Muggle inside, and then I can have all the fun I want."

Snape was exaggerating just a tad, making it sound as if he made regular business of bating innocent Muggles. He'd only done it to those that truly deserved it.

"You allow them inside your house?" Regulus sounded revolted.

"Don't be a baby, Regulus," admonished Lestrange. "We have no reason to fear Muggles. Their filth and dirt can be dealt with. If Snapes needs victims to practice on, then at least he's being smart about it."

Severus cast a triumphant look at Regulus. It was rare to receive a compliment in front of a Black.

When the feast ended, Severus separated himself from the students heading to the lower regions of the castle. Wilkes was leading the first years to the dungeons; apparently this was a job he could not slither out of. He decided on a longer, less-travelled route to the Slytherin common room. Snape was so lost in his thoughts – mainly about Lily – that it took a moment for the call of his loathsome nickname to register.

"Oy, Snivellus!"

Ahead of Snape stood Sirius Black, who was leaning against a wall lazily, wand in hand. Snape regarded the boy warily, expecting Potter to pop out at any moment.

"Are you lost Black?" Snape asked, slowly moving his hand inside his robes to retrieve his wand.

"What were you and my brother talking about during the feast?" Sirius asked, his wand still held loosely in his hand.

Snape's own hand froze on his wand. _Did Sirius think he and Regulus were buddies? Did Sirius still care about his younger brother?_ His mind whirled, calculating the ways to exploit this information.

Snape grinned maliciously. "Just talking. Regulus is _very_ eager to prove that he isn't a failure like you. There are so many things I can teach him."

Sirius growled. "Stay away from him."

"You'll have to take that up with him. Your brother practically begged to be seated next to me."

Funny that Sirius would go after Snape when Lestrange and Mulciber held a much greater level of control over Regulus.

"He doesn't need you poisoning his mind!"

"If you need someone to blame, just look in the mirror. If you'd only fulfilled your duties as heir, Regulus might not feel the need to rectify all your –"

Severus was unable to finish the sentence. With two swishes, Black disarmed him and placed a Leg–Locker Curse on him. Snape fell to the ground with a crash.

"Snape?" a female voice called.

Severus looked up from his position on the floor. Leila Yaxley was staring down at him with a bewildered expression on her face, but she did not seem at all surprised to see Sirius.

"Lift the curse, Sirius," Leila commanded.

"Why should I?" argued Sirius.

It suddenly dawned on Snape. Yaxley and Black were not there by coincidence. They'd clearly planned to meet in this very hallway – by a stroke of rotten luck, he'd gotten in the way.

"I suggest you do what she says, young man."

A fourth person had joined their group: the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Keenan.

Sirius glanced at the new teacher, gauging the level of authority he held, before grudgingly lifting the curse. Severus sprung to his feet, dusting off his robes.

"I may be new here, but even I know magic is not allowed in the hallways," Professor Keenan said, surveying the three of them carefully. "You should all be on your way to your common rooms."

"I was, sir," Snape said. "I was just walking when Sirius Black attacked me." Severus pointed dramatically at his attacker.

"Is that so, Mr. Black?" Professor Keenan asked sternly.

Sirius didn't refute the claim.

"And what were you doing here, Miss . . .?"

"Leila Yaxley," she said quickly. "I was meeting Mr. Black."

The Professor raised his eyebrows. "Ah . . ."

"It isn't against the rules, sir. We're all in fifth year, and our curfew isn't until a few hours from now," she replied.

"This is a rather suspicious area to meet – quiet, dark, hallway with lots of empty classrooms."

Leila's face turned a light shade of pink, and she wouldn't look directly at the teacher. It took more than that light insinuation to embarrass Sirius, who still had a defiant look about him.

"I'll pretend your intentions were innocent and leave it at that," Keenan stated. "What House are you in, Mr. Black?"

Sirius did not reply.

"You are already in trouble young man. It will only be advantageous for you to cooperate."

"Gryffindor."

"Miss Yaxley?"

"Slytherin."

"And I haven't gotten your name yet . . . ." Keenan's statement was directed at Severus.

"Severus Snape. Slytherin as well."

"I'll be seeing you all bright and early tomorrow."

"What?" Sirius blurted out.

"I'm teaching fifth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins first period," Keenan explained. "And you, Mr. Black, will see me after class, when we will discuss a suitable punishment."

"Only me?" Sirius retorted angrily.

"You're the only one who broke a rule. Now you will all return to your common rooms. You first, Mr. Black."

Sirius viciously pocketed his wand and strode off in a huff.

"May I say something, sir?" Snape asked once Black's figure was no longer visible.

Professor Keenan nodded.

"Detention isn't a suitable punishment for Black. He receives them all the time; it's nothing to him." The words came out of his mouth quickly – he didn't want to be interrupted.

"Another student's punishment is none of your concern, Mr. Snape." The professor's tone had a distinct coldness to it. "Go on now you two."

"Good night, sir," Leila said. Severus was surprised by the speed of her walk; he had to jog to keep up with her. Leila's social status may have been a few pegs higher on the totem pole than Snape's, but he was not going to let that deter him from discussing a few things with her.

She suddenly stopped and turned to him sharply, "What were you doing in that corridor Snape?"

"Did I ruin your plans to snog Black? What will your parents think? Not very lady-like behaviour."

"You're in no position to laugh at me. You're the one going after Mudbloods."

There it was again: the mention of Lily's blood status. It had never crossed Severus's mind that so many students would even be aware that there was anything – even just friendship – between Lily and him. The Slytherin girls were generally blind to his existence, but apparently he wasn't as invisible as he'd always thought. Of course, the teasing from his roommates on the train before wouldn't have bothered him so much if there wasn't that dangerous undertone about blood purity.

"Is Black any better? Don't forget he's a blood traitor. He admitted it himself. And Black hates anything to do with Slytherin; he'll never date you in public."

"Black can grow out of it, but a Mudblood will always be a Mudblood. I think Black is interested, or he wouldn't have agreed to meet me. Plus, I know how to be persuasive if needed." Leila flipped her hair at him condescendingly. "On the other hand, you'd need all the love potions and enchantments known to wizard-kind to get any female interested in you."

Snape curled his fists. He'd been mistaken. He'd begun the conversation thinking Leila was embarrassed to be found alone with Black. He'd even hoped that she would be willing to trade him something for his silence.

Now he was the one who needed her silence about Lily. The less people spoke about them the better. Leila was popular enough, especially in Slytherin, that she could make his life very difficult. Perhaps there was still a way to win her over, after all most people responded to flattery.

"You needn't worry about Black's interest. Since nothing happened between you two this evening, he'll be _thinking_ about you all night."

"Very good, Snape. Very insightful," Leila said smirking.

"If Black does prove to be resistant - I can be of service of you."

"How?" Despite herself, she sounded interested.

"Potion brewing." He didn't elaborate further. She'd know what type of potions he was referring to.

"In return?"

"Protection."

Though Snape still enjoyed some privileges from being Lucius Malfoy's – who had graduated three years ago – protégé, he no longer had the same protection as he'd had those first few years. Back in first, second, and third year, he'd usually come off better on any run-ins with Black and Potter because he had a slew of older Slytherin students willing to join in at a moment's notice. The help had been greatly decreased last year, and only Rabastan Lestrange was left among the Slytherin gang that had taken him in his first year.

The older Slytherins had always appreciated Snape's talents more than his peers had. Now the Slytherins only had his back if it was near a Quidditch game or if the Gryffindors had done something to incur the wrath of more than just Snape.

"Is this about the silly feud between you, Potter, and Black?"

"All I want is back-up. Do you think it's fair that Potter and Black attack me two on one?"

Leila cocked her head to the side. "I'll think about it."

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading my story, and if it's not too much trouble, please leave a review! 


	5. First Day Woes

**Author's note: I'd like to thank my beta, without her this chapter wouldn't be nearly as polished.**

* * *

**Chap****ter Five: First Day Woes**

Sirius opened his eyes; it didn't take long for them adjust because, with his bed curtains drawn, it was still dark. He stretched lazily and turned his side. There was a loud commotion around him – all his roommates were already awake. Sirius didn't mind in the least. This was more preferable than being awoken at Grimmauld Place by Regulus, Kreacher, or his mother.

"You've used up all the hot water again," Terry Keeler complained.

"Use a bloody Warming Charm," Derek Newbell called back to his best friend. "And hurry up, Jamie's waiting to go to breakfast."

Terry mumbled something inaudible back, but though the words were not discernable, the meaning was clear. Terry was obviously not fond of his friend's girlfriend Jamie Gordan.

Five minutes later, Sirius wrenched open his curtains. Remus, seeing movement behind Sirius's bed hangings, threw two red pillows, one after another, towards Sirius. The first pillow barely brushed him, but the second pillow hit him directly in the face. Lupin's aim was always better than Sirius expected.

"What was that for?" Sirius asked.

Remus shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure you'll do or say something to deserve that later today."

"That's no way for a prefect to act."

"What would you know about that?" Remus asked, amused.

"You may have a point . . . ." Sirius agreed, standing up and searching for a towel in his trunk.

"Anyway, I'm the one who stopped James from dumping a bucket of water over your head to wake you." James emerged from the bathroom in time to hear the last of Remus's words.

"Is that true James?" Sirius asked with mock indignation.

"I figured I could save you time – you wouldn't have to bother showering," James explained with a grin.

"Such caring, wonderful mates I have," Sirius replied.

He trod over to the bathroom. "Morning Keeler, Newbell," he said with a yawn. They were already in their school robes and brushing their teeth.

Sirius stepped into the narrow shower stall. Evidently, enlarging the showers stalls to a more comfortable width was too big a task for a magical school. He kept the shower short, knowing if wanted to feed his growling stomach, he'd have to make it to the Great Hall soon.

Sirius towelled and dressed, looking at himself in the mirror: damp, black hair, grey eyes sharp; aristocratic looks – from the noble lineage of the Blacks. He'd seen pictures of his dead relatives, and his resemblance to them was irrefutable. Sirius's alluring smile could charm most witches, and when this was combined with the intensity of his dark eyes, he had he power to disarm most females. This did not mean he was proud of the genes that had brought misery to generations of unfortunate victims. His family's past was blackened by dirty deeds, and here stood their heir – a Gryffindor – a heir who cared nothing for wealth, nobility, status, or blood.

"How long are you going to stare at yourself, mate?" James, standing behind him, was reflected in the mirror.

"Just because your hair is an unruly mess doesn't mean the rest of us have to go around looking like we just stepped off a broom," Sirius said, running a comb one last time through his locks.

"I'll have you know girls love my wind-swept look," James replied, looking miffed as he too stepped out of the bathroom.

"Let's go already," Peter whined. He had one foot practically out the door. Terry and Derek had already vacated the room. Sirius slipped on his black school robes over his white collared shirt and trousers. Wearing pants under your robes was quickly becoming a popular trend among young wizards – something the conservative elder crowd was strongly advocating against.

"Don't forget your bag and books," Remus warned. "We don't want to have to come back here before our first class."

A grin unconsciously formed on Sirius's lips; James teasing him about taking so long to get ready, Peter whining about missing breakfast, and Remus reminding them to bring their school things – some things never changed.

"What are you smiling about?" James wondered aloud.

"Just glad to be back at Hogwarts," Sirius said, clapping his friend on the back. And he was. The joy he felt was impossible to describe in words. He was far, far away from the oppressive atmosphere of his house. As the four strolled the halls, Sirius couldn't help noticing how the castle air felt lighter, warmth was emanating from everything, and absent was that coldness he always felt in Grimmauld Place.

Students laughed and chattered, catching up on the gossip they hadn't gotten last night. The Great Hall was alive and cheerful because as school hadn't officially started yet, there was no concern about homework, essays, or tests. Even the Daily Prophet (James's parents had ordered him a subscription, so James would be well-informed on Wizarding events) was devoid of the news of disappearances and murders that had been so common all summer. Professor McGonagall was just passing out the schedules as the boys seated themselves.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts first," Remus remarked.

"With Slytherin," groaned Peter.

"Better than last year when we had History of Magic," James said. History of Magic was a painfully boring class to begin with, and last year it had been unbearable having it first each week. Even the Ravenclaws, who were studious by nature and took class more seriously than Sirius thought anyone should, had difficulty keeping awake.

At the mention of the Defence Against the Dark Arts, Sirius found himself staring up toward the staff table, and he was annoyingly reminded of his impending punishment with the new teacher. Professor Keenan looked rested and was cheerfully speaking with his colleagues. Sirius had always been distrustful of authority figures – teachers included – and his run-in with the new Professor had done nothing to allay any preconceived notions.

Sirius also spared a glance for the Slytherin table to check on his brother. His feelings toward Regulus were mixed. He felt oddly protective of Regulus from a distance, yet the moment they were in each others' presence, he had difficulty uttering a single polite syllable. At least Regulus was surrounded by other third years this morning; not the most desirable company, but loads better than Snivellus.

Conversation flowed and ebbed, and the Great Hall began emptying. The four boys stood up and followed the Gryffindor girls from their year, staying a few feet behind. The girls threw them glances full of longing, but they stayed huddled in a mass. Sirius was easily annoyed by the girls who spent their time giggling in large groups, preferring the type who'd venture away from the safety of her friends to speak to him. Unfortunately, that type of confidence too often, in his experience, came with arrogance – and that presented problems as well. Girls were bloody complicated.

The boys entered the room, and unconsciously, Sirius's feet carried him to the back of the classroom.

"Mr. Black, please take a seat in the front row."

Sirius froze; he'd been unaware that Professor Keenan was even in the room. The professor was walking down the staircase from his office. The students in the room quieted and heads turned, darting between the two of them; some looked eager, hoping for a 'scene' to start off the year. Sirius almost disobeyed – not because the teacher was unfairly picking him out, but just to see how far he could push the professor, just to see what Keenan would do. Sirius had always flirted dangerously with the rules; his peers expected it. Sirius fastened his eyes on the teacher, and started to trace his path back towards the front.

Had it been in any other class with any other teacher, Sirius wouldn't have given the request a second thought. James and he had been scolded for causing disturbances every year in every class.

"At that middle desk, Mr. Black." Keenan's voice was oddly shaky, and he looked relieved as Sirius plopped down in the seat, letting his bag crash onto the wooden floor. Keenan took refuge behind his teacher's desk. James didn't hide his puzzlement or annoyance as he sat down beside Sirius letting his own school bag down considerably more gently. Remus and Peter slipped into the two seats behind them.

The bell for class hadn't rung yet, so James whispered, "How does the teacher already know your name?"

"Well, you know how I went to meet Leila Yaxley?"

"Yes – wait did he catch you in the broom closet together?"

"No – not that. He caught me hexing Snape."

"What was that slimy git doing there?"

Snape had always been a bit too interested in their group's private plans, sneaking around after them and looking for ways to get them in trouble, even expelled.

"Don't know. And now I've got detention."

"Professor Keenan gave you detention?"

"I assume so. I have to see him after class."

"I suppose he'll be strict then? Not a pushover like Professor Neaton?"

Professor Neaton had been too 'nice' to be a teacher, especially with a subject like Defence Against the Dark Arts, which required cleverness and quick-thinking. Neaton had been gullible and slow, and the class had taken full advantage of it.

James continued, "Let's hope he's better than Adair,"

Sirius grimaced in remembrance. Professor Adair had taught them in second year. She was a vile woman who'd embraced corporal punishment in her class. Out of their group, only Peter hadn't been struck by her rod. Her career had quickly ceased when it was discovered she'd been testing products, such as potions and lotions from her father's shop, on students.

"Settle down class. Settle down," Professor Keenan said, straightening up, perhaps to make himself look more imposing.

James regarded the new teacher coolly on behalf of his best mate. The class did quiet down, as they were still unsure of Keenan and of what he would allow in his class. Only time would determine his level of control over them.

"My name is Professor Keenan." He waved his wand at the blackboard and his name was scrawled out in large script. "You may address me as 'Professor' or 'sir'. The rules in this class are simple and you will adhere to them. You will raise your hand when you wish to speak. You will not speak until I call on you. Dialogue in this classroom will be open between us, and you will treat each other with respect."

Professor Keenan paused to survey the effect his speech had on his students. Not one of the boys in the class was smiling and a few were even frowning slightly. The girls entranced by the young teacher's good looks were the only ones who regarded his words with any acceptance.

"All homework will be handed in on time, and will be placed on my desk in a neat pile before the bell rings. At the first offence, your Head of House will be notified, and with each following offence, a letter will be sent to your parent or guardian. You will also serve detention that same day where you will complete the assignment you failed to do. Next class, a complete list of rules and resulting infractions will be available. I understand all these rules may seem . . . overwhelming." Again he stopped, smiling at the class, hoping to sway them on his side by being cheerful.

"As a 'new teacher' – since I was a student once myself – I know some of you may wish to test me. Let me warn you that it will be not only a waste of your time, but you will only be making life very difficult for yourself. Follow my rules and class will be an enjoyable learning experience; don't, and I'll be seeing you in detention daily."

"Oh no, detention," James muttered under his breath sarcastically. Sirius suppressed a laugh. In a flash, with the agility and grace of an athlete, Keenan struck his wand on James's desk.

"Your name?"

"James Potter." James's voice was neutral – not exactly polite and not exactly arrogant. Sirius could feel Peter squirming in the seat behind him, and he knew Remus was probably praying silently that James wouldn't say anything to make the situation worse.

"Sir."

"James Potter, _sir_." Now there was a definite hint of sarcasm to James's voice.

"Mr. Potter, I do not like having to explain things twice. Were you not listening moments ago when I told you of my lack of tolerance for those who speak out of turn and those who test me?"

"Sir, I was listening. However, I don't agree."

There was a collective intake of breath. Several of the girls who'd been hanging on Keenan's words snapped out of their love-struck hazes.

"What is it you don't agree with?" Keenan sounded agitated

"I'd like to point out, sir, that there may be instances when speaking without permission is necessary."

"Are there? Please elaborate."

"For example, the schoolbag of the person sitting next to you is on fire."

James pointed his thumb lazily at Sirius. Sirius's confusion quickly turned to shock as his eyes took in his bag being engulfed in bright, hot flames. His pushed his chair back in alarm. Several students nearby gasped, the ones in the back craned their necks.

"_Finite Incantatum_!" James brandished his wand, which he'd already had out, and the flames vanished. A tense silence followed. The Quaffle was in Keenan's pitch. The teacher's reputation could be very well decided at this very moment. Unluckily for the Professor, he had no idea of James's popularity among the students.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."

Even Sirius felt disappointed, cheated by this response. Just points off? No lecture? No throwing James out of the classroom for impudence?

However Keenan spoke on, "I would have taken ten off if it hadn't been for that impressive non-verbal charm. Very subtle, I almost didn't catch it, Mr. Potter. Very advanced magic for a fifth year."

James who usually took praise very well, looked wrong-footed by the compliment on his magical skills.

Sirius gingerly picked up his bag to inspect it. It was new and expensive – if his parents were to find out it had already been damaged, it would be just another thing for them to yell at him about. There was not a mark on it – the spell must have been an illusion; his bag had never really been on fire.

Keenan spent the next five minutes giving the required importance-of-O.W.L.-year lecture. The teacher told them they would cover and review everything they needed to receive an O.W.L. in the subject. Then he set them to task writing down their strengths and weakness in the subject; areas they felt they needed to review; and any subject they wanted to learn more about.

"Also I'd like each of you to write a few sentences about yourself, so I can learn about each of you. Wands away, quills out, and no talking. Please take this assignment seriously."

There was sighing and groaning as the students bustled about, but soon all Sirius heard was the scratching of quills. Sirius stared at his blank parchment. He couldn't understand how he was already bored, but he was. He chanced a glance behind him at Remus. He looked up at Sirius and mouthed, "What?"

"Mr. Black, face forward."

Sirius sighed before complying with the request. It wasn't as if Remus could have helped.

He shared a quick look with James, but with Keenan watching him sternly from his perch in the front of the room, there wasn't much James could to help alleviate his boredom either.

The minutes ticked by slowly, agonizingly slowly. He felt as if he were back in those summer lessons at home, locked in until he completed the required work. Was he the only one finding the assignment pointless? Next to him, James had placed his quill down; he'd only written three or four lines.

"Please finish up in the next five minutes."

Sirius felt a moment of panic. Only his name on the top had tarnished the emptiness of his parchment, and he knew it wasn't worth the trouble he'd been in if he handed it in blank.

_More hexes_

_Shields/Protection_

_Personal information: Black heir_

The papers were collected, as Sirius had been forced to sit in the front, he had a good look at the assignments of everyone who was seated behind him. His attempt at the assignment was certainly meagre and would definitely stand out. Then they were assigned to read and outline the first chapter of _How to Defend Yourself: A Guide for Every Witch and Wizard _by Ellie Patton. And just like that, Keenan let them out ten minutes before the bell. Remus, Peter, and James stood up all around Sirius – their classmates were chattering excitedly about the rare treat.

"I've got to stay behind," he reminded his friends sullenly.

"We'll wait," James responded.

"Bye, Professor Keenan," Mary McDonald and Natalie Warren chorused dreamily as they walked by his desk, predictably giggling.

"In trouble already? Tsk, tsk, Black," Snape said as he walked by alone. The other Slytherins Snape generally associated with were a few paces ahead. Sirius clenched his fists; Snape knew very well what had happened. If Keenan heard Snivellus's comment (and he must have, if he had heard James's earlier comment) he didn't make it known. Leila Yaxley was the last person out the door, and her pretty eyes lingered on Sirius for a second or two.

"Now about your punishment . . . ."

* * *

The fifth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins were buzzing in the hallway outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, and the new teacher was on all their minds. Not one of them could recall ever in their Hogwarts career receiving the unusual treat of any early class dismissal.

James hadn't been able to get a strong handle on Professor Keenan. It was obvious the man wasn't going to allow any nonsense in his classroom. This fact, though, did not fit with his reaction to James's (admittedly) cheeky rebuttal about speaking without permission. James was, in a way, thankful to have a sharp and competent teacher this year, but Keenan's treatment of Sirius nagged on his mind. He guessed that the teacher simply had labelled his friend a troublemaker after the incident last night, so he was doing everything in his power to curb any trouble Sirius might make for him in class.

Keenan wasn't exactly wrong; ask any teacher at Hogwarts, and both James and Sirius would be on the top of their list of biggest troublemakers in school. But that didn't make Keenan's treatment right. Unfortunately, knowing Sirius, if he suspected Keenan already disliked him, Sirius would only strive to fulfil the role.

"I didn't know what to write," Peter said as he leaned against the wall. "Especially about myself – what did you write James?"

"Something about Quidditch," James answered offhandedly, then smirked at Remus. "Happen to mention your furry little problem?"

"I didn't have to; the teachers already –" Remus didn't finish as Mary McDonald rather rudely butted into their conversation.

"Still having trouble with your rabbit?"

Mary was of average height, plump, and had dirty-blonde hair that had lightened considerably over the summer. She could also be very noisy and pushy.

"Er . . ." Remus looked helplessly at James and Peter, who were both unsuccessfully trying to keep from laughing.

'Furry little problem' had become the codeword for Remus's lycanthropy, and they'd used it without care in public. But with their popularity it was a given that there were people listening to them, so students overhearing them assumed their references were toward a badly behaved pet, which had progressed to a misbehaved _rabbit_ of all animals. None of them could understand it, but they let the rumour stand.

Remus's face was quite red as he babbled, "Well she's getting older, so she is not as lively as she was before . . . ."

"Oh, right." Mary nodded as if that explanation made actual sense.

"How destructive can a rabbit be anyway?" Natalie Warren, Mary's best friend, asked. She was a plain-looking girl with pin-straight black hair.

"You'd be surprised."

James noted that Lily Evans, Anita Knight, and Catherine Pierce were all half-listening. Terry Keeler stood a bit apart from the girls, hands in his pockets, looking forlorn. It appeared Derek Newbell had disappeared with his girlfriend Jamie Gordan. The Slytherins had all dispersed awhile ago.

"Remus has a magical rabbit," James explained, feeling compelled to back up his friend, who was looking more and more uncomfortable. "Acts more like a dog than a rabbit."

"I've never heard of a magical rabbit," Lily Evans interrupted, hand on her hip.

James's stomach did a flip-flop as Lily met his eyes in a challenging manner. _Of course she hadn't; after all, he'd made that up_.James, though, wasn't so much concerned with being caught in a lie as with why Evans had such a physical effect on him lately.

Evan's hair was back in braids. James had definitely liked her hair how it was on the train: down and flowing. He curbed his desire to undo the braids and run his hands through her hair. It would feel like silk; he was sure of it.

"They are _very _rare and _very _expensive," James clarified.

"So why don't you sell her? Make lots of money and be rid of the furry problem at the same time?" Mary asked, and Lily nodded in agreement.

"Well – because it was a gift, wasn't it, Remus? From your great-aunt –"

"Right, my great-aunt Rebecca."

"On her death bed when you inherited that rabbit."

"Yes, yes she was," Remus agreed a bit too eagerly.

Lily regarded their words coolly; apparently she saw right through their lies. The other girls were all satisfied; none of them were as naturally suspicious of the boys as Lily Evans was.

The door to the classroom burst open and Sirius emerged. Anita, Mary, Natalie and Catherine, all turned their attention towards Sirius; their movement was so sudden and simultaneous that it was comical. Lily, however, James noted with another jolt, did not. Sirius spared the girls a smile. At times James suspected Sirius was unaware of his effect on females, yet at other times he used his charm in such a cunning way that it couldn't have been accidental.

"Well?" James pressed.

Sirius shrugged dramatically. "Detention tonight. Seven o'clock."

"Hello Sirius," Mary cooed, drawing out his name in a sing-song voice. Mary was not content with just a smile from Sirius Black.

"I can't believe Keenan put you in detention; that is so unfair!" Catherine said, flipping her wavy blonde hair back and fluttering her light-blue eyes in Sirius's direction.

"Well I did hex Snivellus," Sirius admitted.

"You really need to stop hexing Severus," Lily admonished. She was the only Gryffindor to ever refer to Snape by his first name.

"Thank you, Evans. I'll remember that great bit of advice next time I run into that slimy git."

"I'm sure Snape deserved it," Anita declared.

"That's right, Knight," Sirius agreed. Anita Knight's chocolate brown eyes lit up at the compliment.

Catherine glanced at her gold-plated watch. "Let's go outside, we have twenty minutes until Transfiguration." She tugged bravely at Sirius's sleeve. "And you lads are coming along."

"We aren't allowed outside, right Lupin?" Lily said with the authority of a prefect.

"It's so nice outside Lily! What rule would we be breaking?" Anita exclaimed.

"Well there isn't any real rule against it . . . but if a teacher were to see us . . ." Remus replied. He looked down guiltily at his shoes when Lily glared at him for not backing her up.

"Simple then: we won't let a teacher see us," James piped in.

"Come on, let's go then," Sirius said. He didn't like just standing around.

Terry Keeler, who hadn't said a word so far, was now looking very uncomfortable, but Lily took pity on him. "Terry, you can come with us," she said kindly.

James couldn't help but notice that she called Keeler by his first name.

Outside the weather was the complete opposite of yesterday's weather. The sun shown brightly, the sky was a brilliant blue, the grass beneath their feet was a vivid green, and the air smelled fresh and clean.

"Tag! Catch me if you can." Catherine tapped Sirius on the shoulder, running ahead towards the lake. Sirius raced after her. It was no contest; Sirius easily caught her, grabbing her from behind, and they tumbled to the ground laughing.

Mary McDonald scowled. "Could she be any more obvious? Honestly!"

If James thought it would do any good, he might have mentioned to Mary that Sirius would have probably chased any female who had tapped him as Catherine had, and that it didn't mean that Sirius held any attraction towards her friend.

"So, anyone keep up with Quidditch over the summer?" James asked, hoping to get the conversation flowing, particularly with a certain red-headed girl.

"Not really," Mary said. "I only watch Quidditch at Hogwarts."

"I keep up," Terry murmured.

"I visited the entire Tornado team," James boasted, running a hand through his hair. He gave Lily a sidelong glance, hoping for some sort of positive reaction. She was gazing ahead; the topic hadn't caught her interest.

"Wow! Really!" Terry exclaimed.

"Yeah, I got all their autographs and spoke with them all. I'm thinking about a career as a professional Quidditch player."

Lily was still not following the conversation.

"You'd be excellent," Anita said admirably. "My brother, don't tell him I told you this, is so jealous of your flying ability."

Anita's brother was a Chaser on the Ravenclaw team, and he was two years older than them. James grinned, for at least he'd impressed someone.

They reached the area where Sirius and Catherine were sprawled on the ground, no longer attached. Catherine had picked a white flower and was placing it in her hair. They all plopped down and fell into casual conversation.

* * *

Remus was the last of the group to go through the Transfiguration classroom door as the bell struck. They hadn't gotten caught: they'd had a relaxing time and even made it to class on time. To Sirius, this proved that worrywarts like Lily Evans were wrong and that that rules should only be followed when the rule maker was around.

"Come in." McGonagall waved them in. "Be seated quickly."

The girls settled near Jamie Gordan, and despite the fact she was holding her boyfriend's hand across the aisle, she looked envious of their pre-arrival activities.

Gryffindors were paired with Ravenclaws for Transfiguration, and as they were the last members of the class to arrive, seating choices were very limited and in close proximity to the teacher. So Sirius sat on one side of James, and Remus on the other, while Peter sat behind them beside Terry Keeler.

McGonagall started class by calling roll, which Sirius found pointless. After four years she should be able to tell just by looking around if one of them were missing. She only stopped once on Evans, Lily to tell James and Sirius that they'd be separated like last year if they couldn't keep still and quiet.

McGonagall droned on and on about O.W.L. year: the importance of it, how this year would decide their future, and how the world was at their fingertips – they just needed to reach out and grasp it by studying hard.

_Future_ – Sirius laughed. As the Black family heir, his future had been planned out since birth. He was expected to get the highest O.W.L.s in every subject, but it didn't mean anything except something his parents could boast about to other pure-bloods. Regardless of his grades, Sirius's father would secure him a job in the Ministry, as well as arranging a pure-blood marriage for him; just as it had happened for generations before him.

Yes, Sirius had rebelled against his family so far – fighting for the slightest freedom – but how long could this go on? After all, he was still underage, still under their wings. He was convinced his young age was the only reason he had gotten away with this all so far. He wasn't the first, nor would he be the last pure-blood to temporarily fall off the path set forth before him.

One question lurked in Sirius's mind: Would he have the courage to continue his rebellion once he turned seventeen? Or would he finally bow to his family's will? There would be no compromise. He already knew that. He would either fulfil his role, become the model son, or he'd be disowned, his inheritance forfeited to Regulus.

"Bloody hell, is she ever going to shut up?" Sirius muttered to himself. McGonagall was still droning on.

Lectures were awful enough, and add talk of the future, which made him think thoughts he'd rather repress, and they became torturous. He turned to the quill and sheet of parchment that he'd taken out before and began doodling. When McGonagall was glancing the other way, he poked James beside him and passed him the picture. James, distracted by something himself, almost didn't hide the picture beneath his desk in time as McGonagall turned back to the class. She narrowed her eyes towards them, perhaps sensing something was amiss.

Once McGonagall was back on track with her lecture, James took his wand out and flicked it over the picture before handing the parchment back to Sirius. James had animated the sketch Sirius had drawn of Snape being chased by a bottle of shampoo. Sirius couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Mr. Black, am I boring you?" McGonagall asked sternly. "Would you like to teach the class about O.W.L.s, as you obviously know so much about them already that you do not feel the need to listen?"

"Sorry, Professor."

She really ought to be grateful he had let out his tension through laughter and not through more aggressive means.

"You are no longer a first year. Learn to control yourself! The least I can hope for is that you have the courtesy not to distract classmates that actually care about their future. See me after class."

Sirius slumped in his seat. Perfect, now he would just have to sit through an additional lecture after class.

"What's got her skirt in a twist?" James said. Perhaps he wanted to be heard, because he hadn't whispered it.

"Mr. Potter!"

"I'll be seeing you after class too, Professor?" James asked.

"Right you will. Mr. Potter, switch seats with Perry Sears, and Mr. Black, you will switch with Maya Hill."

None of them moved.

"Now!"

James and Sirius made a production of switching seats. Sirius noticed Remus frowning at this; Remus had always disapproved of any disrespect towards teachers.

In his new seat, Sirius was next to a window, and beside him sat Bertram Aubrey, a prefect from Ravenclaw.

"Don't even think of saying a word to me," Bertram Aubrey stated haughtily.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sirius muttered. Sirius caught James's eye across the room, and James threw him a rueful smile. James was a bit luckier with his spot. He was beside a pretty Ravenclaw girl who was already batting her eyelashes at James.

Sirius did feel a bit guilty because out of all Hogwarts teachers, he respected his Head of House the most. She was a very fair teacher, and he knew that regardless of how pointless _he_ felt the lecture was, she did have the best intentions in mind for her students.

So after class James and Sirius endured seven highly unpleasant minutes, in which she reiterated the importance of O.W.L.s and how she'd hate to see two talented individuals ruin their futures. She also brought up their lack of maturity. No points were docked nor a detention assigned. McGonagall must have been feeling exceptionally generous because she said she'd give them one more chance to be allowed to sit next to each other before making the seating change permanent.

* * *

The Great Hall was close to empty now. Dessert had been served and most students were ready to turn in after a long first day of classes.

Peter yawned as he picked up his mug of hot chocolate. James had a broomstick catalogue out and was rattling on about the different merits of the newest models. James's broom was only a year old, and though Mr. and Mrs. Potter indulged most of James's wishes, they wouldn't buy him another broom this year; so exactly why his friend still found the catalogue so interesting, Sirius wasn't sure.

"It's ten to seven," Remus said, looking pointedly at Sirius.

"I'll leave in a moment. Ten minutes is plenty of time . . . ." He didn't add that it was only enough time to reach Professor Keenan's office as long as he walked quickly, none of the staircases decided to move on him, and he didn't run into Peeves.

Sirius counted to thirty in his head and then stood up. "See you later lads."

Luck was apparently on his side because Sirius arrived ten seconds before the clock struck seven.

He was saved having to walk up the steps to the professor's office because Keenan was at his desk. He had taken off his robes, revealing Muggle pants and a collared shirt – the teacher had even loosened his tie considerably, something teenage wizards tried daily to get away with during the school week, only to be reprimanded by one of the Hogwarts staff. Professor Keenan looked remarkably comfortable in the Muggle attire, and Sirius wondered if he was Muggle-born.

"Good evening, Mr. Black," Professor Keenan greeted him lightly. "Please take a seat."

The desk he'd been assigned early that day had a pile of blank parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink set on it. Sirius sat down in that seat. The sooner he could start at the task, the sooner he could return to the dorm.

"In the teachers' lounge this afternoon I was offered a lot of advice on how to best deal with your detention. I didn't take it though. Your _history_ with the other teachers is of little concern to me. I do have a question about what you wrote in class today – _Black heir_. I had hoped to glean a bit of information about each of my students. Most of your classmates wrote about hobbies and other interests."

"Have you not heard of my family, sir?"

"I have heard of the Blacks, but I'm sure there is more to you than what you wrote."

"You wouldn't think that if you really knew them, sir," Sirius answered, his tone clipped and unyielding.

"Okay then." Keenan looked lost by Sirius's answer. He'd been expecting more, and to cover his discomfort, he ruffled the papers on his desk. "As for your punishment, you will handwrite out the list of class rules that I will distribute to my classes. Perhaps this will help you remember to follow them. You can start with the fifth years – that will be forty copies – and we will see what time it is when you are finished with that."

Professor Keenan rose and handed Sirius the official copy of the rules.

Sirius sighed and began writing.

Hours later, his fingers ink-stained and cramped, eighty copies of the rules were neatly piled on Keenan's desk, and Sirius was finally dismissed. He wandered the halls back to the Gryffindor dormitory mindlessly. So far in his Hogwarts' career, the first day of the new school year had never gone smoothly and he was relieved this year's was behind him.

* * *

**Author's note: Thanks for reading. I'm sure you're tired of reading all those pleas for reviews from authors, but it really does make my day when I receive one. **


	6. Becoming Marauders

**Author's note:** I'm so so so sorry this update took forever. It took me awhile to write it and then I had beta problems; hopefully those are fixed now. I had a beta look this over quickly, so hopefully any glaring error is gone. Good news this chapter is long and the next one is already written and will be sent to the beta shortly.

**Chapter Six: **_**Becoming Marauders**_

The pale green paper folded four times over lay innocently among strewn school bags and History of Magic notebooks. The note didn't look threatening nor deserving of the narrowed eyes directed at it by a teenage boy with black hair.

Sirius, first back to the table where his friends sat, snatched it up violently. He ripped it in half twice without opening it. The note was the fourth or fifth – he wouldn't deign it enough importance by keeping count – he'd received over the week from Leila Yaxley. The notes so far had all been alike, with formal requests to meet Leila Yaxley at various places at various times. The librarian, Madam Pince looked up sharply at the sound of tearing paper; she was as protective of the library material as a mother bear with her cubs. No matter which table you chose, even the ones in the far back as Sirius and his friends had selected, the librarian had purposely arranged it, so that she had a perfect view of every student. He hoped, at the least, that Leila or her messenger had witnessed the destruction of the written request because so far he wasn't doing the greatest job in displaying his disinterest of her.

Sirius swept the pieces of the note into his bag; he'd dispose of it at a later time. If only he could sweep Leila Yaxley out of his life in the same manner. He was convinced his first mistake had been agreeing that first evening to meet her. She had misread his intentions. Sirius wasn't exactly sure what his own intentions had been, but certainly it hadn't been to start a relationship with her.

Sirius still remembered that first kiss – it had been memorable. It took some effort to remind himself that the kiss hadn't been a sign of affection, but a way to rid himself of her, and of the arranged marriage. At the time he hadn't considered the possibility that Leila Yaxley would pursue him. As long as he kept this on the forefront of his mind, Sirius was able to ignore the tug of attraction he still held. After all he had endured severe punishment from his mother for it. He wasn't about to undermine what he had accomplished over the summer. If his parents found out he was courting Leila Yaxley or showing an interest in her from Regulus, they would consider it a victory. It was a constant uphill battle rebelling against the will of his parents, which included a proper pure-blood marriage and continuation of the line of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and Sirius couldn't afford to give-in on any issue. If he succumbed once, what would stop him from yielding again? It would lead to a downhill spiral. So he would continue destroying Leila's notes and ignoring her existence until she was the one to give up.

James returned next from the maze of magical books, sprawling out in the chair beside Sirius. And bringing Sirius out of his thoughts of marriage and family responsibility to the present; a six foot essay was due in History of Magic in less than twenty-four hours. Jams yawned loudly.

"How many Galleons do you think I'd have to pay Remus to get him to write my essay?"

"There are not enough Galleons in the world," Remus spoke from behind James. Precariously balancing a large stack of thickly bound books that would have put _Hogwarts: A History _to shame, Remus came round the table, setting them down.

"Agree not to cause trouble for a month and we might have a deal."

"Really?" James looked hopeful.

"No. I'm a prefect, remember?" Remus said.

"Rubbish, you wouldn't have written it for me last year either when you didn't have the 'I'm-a-prefect' excuse," James grumbled as he began leafing through _All You Ever Wanted to Know About Cauldron Making_.

Sirius was certain there was nothing about cauldron making he was the least bit interested in. His topic of the essay wasn't any more interesting. He had to research about quills, which included the different feathers and inks used. Though not as exciting as learning about wizard inventions such as broomsticks and wands, at least Remus and Peter's assigned topic, crystal balls, was better than Sirius's or James's.

Peter inched toward their table, no book in hand. He was eyeing Remus's large stack.

"Er – Remus-" Peter started hesitantly. "I think you took all the books the library has on crystal balls. Why'd you take so many?"

"I like having a variety of sources, and I didn't take all of them. You can use mine, if you want," Remus said.

Peter's face lit up. "Can I? You're the best!"

"You'll write it on your own though, and I'm not going to read it over before you hand it in like I usually do," Remus stated handing over to Peter the top two books, both dusty and ancient looking.

If Peter heard, and it didn't bother him because he grabbed the books as if they were his life source.

The boys worked quietly and intensely for the next ten minutes.

"James, can I see your notes for a moment?" Sirius asked, breaking the unusual silence. "I need to check something."

"Where are yours?" James questioned as he rummaged through the items on the table to extract his red notebook.

"In the dormitory."

"We are in the library researching for History of Magic and you didn't think you might need your notes?" Remus asked dryly.

Sirius grinned. "Not when I have you lot."

"That's a Galleon for every minute you use my notes, mate," James interrupted in a business-like manner.

"Send the bill to my father and mother."

Peter let out a loud laugh that he quickly doused when Madam Pince hushed him.

Sirius, a smile still playing on his lips, quickly located what he needed. James didn't take very detailed notes and Sirius wanted to make sure he covered the exact four points on quills the teacher would be looking for. He was then momentarily distracted by some scribbling in the margins of James's notebook.

"What's this?" Sirius questioned.

"If you're going to complain about my handwriting, you should have brought your own notes," James mumbled his eyes still trained on his own book.

"No. What's this you've written in the margins? _Marauders_?"

"Oh…" James colored slightly. "I was playing around with a name."

"For what?" Peter piped. Essays and Peter did not mix, so any form of distraction, Peter would grab.

"For us…I was thinking some of those pranks we pulled…well we never received proper recognition."

"Which is a good thing, James, because when we did receive recognition, that only meant we'd been caught and assigned detention," Remus stated without looking up.

"I know, but it seems a shame our fellow students aren't even aware the same group pulled them all."

James was right. In class if something were to go wrong, a potion exploding or ink well cracking, the teachers would automatically assume James and/or Sirius had a hand in the destruction. The duo was well-known for class distractions and student hexing in the corridor. They were not well-known as the masterminds behind the brilliant pranks that had surfaced over the past four years, unless they'd been caught in the act. Part of it had been intentional, since they varied the targets and the difficulty level of the enchantments, so there would be no obvious connection.

James continued, "If an anonymous group – _the Marauders_ – could take the credit for it, then students could be speaking about us for years, even after we graduate."

"Marauders?" Sirius tried the word out on his tongue.

"I like it!" Peter stated.

"Of course you do. Anything out of James's mind or mouth is gospel to you," Sirius said harshly.

"You don't like it?" Peter shot back, his round face flushed. Even though it hadn't been the politest of comments, Sirius had not been exaggerating. Peter did always agree with whatever James did, said, or suggested.

Sirius didn't answer and James quickly interrupted with, "It was only an idea…we don't need to use it…I was bored in class you know."

"Do we feel a name for ourselves is necessary?" Sirius asked. It wasn't that he was adverse to the idea of a name, but he felt the need to question it anyway.

"Why not?" Peter said.

"What about you?" Sirius turned to Remus who had given up reading. "What does the prefect say?"

"I have a name," Remus retorted. "And it does have a nice ring to it, but-"

"But what?" James asked with a slight grin. Remus would forever be battling his conscience, loyalty to friends versus prefect duties.

"I'm supposed to be upholding the rules, not be part of a group whose purpose is to wreck havoc on Hogwarts," Remus explained.

"Then nobody will guess your involvement, your identity is the safest of all us," Sirius said. "Besides we need you."

"You need _me_?" questioned Remus.

"You 'ground' us," Sirius reasoned.

"I –I – w-what?" Remus spluttered. His confusion evident on his face.

"You've always stopped us from doing something too crazy or too stupid. Our imaginations can get out of hand sometimes, and you 'ground' us."

"I suppose I do, but – oh, never mind. I already know I'll lose this argument." Remus held up his hands in exasperation, though he didn't look very upset.

"Hold on there. We should vote, then," said James. "This way it will be official."

They all nodded in agreement, even Remus. "All in favor?"

"Aye," Peter whispered eagerly and intently.

"Aye," Remus said not as eager, in an 'I'm-going-to-regret-this tone'.

"Aye," Sirius murmured after a moment.

"Any against?"

Silence greeted that question and Peter giggled.

"That settles it."

"What about you?" Peter voiced.

"I don't get a vote, obviously, since I came up with it!"

James took his wand and first tapped each of Sirius's shoulders lightly. "I dub thee"- he moved on to Remus doing the same motions - "and thee" - next on the Peter- "and thee" - and lastly he held the wand up to his face as one would a sword and said -"the Marauders."

With that complete, Sirius, James, Remus and Peter glanced around at each other unsure of what to say and feeling slightly silly at their antics. Quietly they resumed their work – the crinkling of turned pages, scratching of quills, and soft movement of restless boys repositioning themselves on the hard wooden chairs. Underneath the silence, each one of them was reveling in their new secret and thrill of the exclusivity of their group. The sound bond they already shared strengthened again that day in the library. They were now 'the Marauders' and very soon that name would be recognized by all students, teachers, staff, and Hogwarts ghosts.

* * *

When it came to Potions, Sirius didn't have to dig far to find reasons to dislike the subject. One it was a double period, two it was held in the dungeons where the air was old and musty, and three the Gryffindors had always shared this class with Slytherin…and the fourth reason had just toddled his way into the room, Professor Horace E. F. Slughorn, the Potions Master.

Professor Slughorn was short in stature, his thick straw-colored hair was beginning to thin, while his walrus-like mustache appeared to be growing thicker with each passing year. Slughorn was dressed in emerald-green, the gold buttons on his waistcoat gleaming in the torch-lit room.

Professor Slughorn was known for collecting students like trophies. If your family was well-connected Slughorn would lavish you with attention hoping to use it for his own gain. Slughorn had not hid from Sirius his severe disappointment at his sorting, believing as everyone else that all Blacks belonged in Slytherin, which Slughorn was Head of House. If Sirius acted out in class or forgot a step in a potion concoction, it was always the same shake of the head, tsk of the lips, and the moustache molding into the frown, " A Black should know better…A Black should be better behaved…a Black should have better self-control…"

Sirius fought back with bitingly sarcastic remarks, but they were never as well received as Lily Evan's cheeky rebuttals when Slughorn commented she was best fit in Slytherin. Slughorn's belief they were both Slytherins at hear was probably the only thing Sirius had in common with the red-headed witch.

Slughorn was infatuated with the Muggle-born – she could do nor say anything wrong. It sat wrong with Sirius how Lily's wittiness and cheekiness was almost a form of entertainment for Slughorn. She was a gifted witch, and the way he'd show her off at the 'Slug Club' parties ("She's a Muggle-born, if you can believe it!"), as if she were a commodity.

"Today my fifth years, we will be brewing The Draught of Peace. Can anyone tell me the effects of the potion?"

Four hands were raised, one from Gryffindor and three from Slytherin.

"Miss Evans?"

"It calms anxiety and soothes agitation."

"Excellent! Five points to Gryffindor. This is your first O.W.L. standard potion. Does anyone know the two active ingredients? Ah, Mr. Snape."

Snape spoke in a bored atone. "Powdered moonstone and hellebore syrup. The syrup from hellebore is very poisonous and should be handled with care."

"Very good. Five points to Slytherin."

Snape nodded with a satisfied smirk. Sirius caught Lily Evan's giving him an encouraging smile to his answer, which caused Snape's smirk to enlarge.

"You'll be working in partners, which I will assign," finished Slughorn.

The students groaned accordingly even though Slughorn had warned them last class. Slughorn went through the list slowly for he had to pause constantly to make a comment about this person's grandfather or that person's aunt.

Sirius was paired with Mary McDonald – given the choice she obviously wouldn't be top on his list, but she was better than any Slytherin. Remus was assigned to work with Anita Knight, who had glared most unbecomingly at Mary McDonald, envious that Sirius was Mary's partner and not hers. Poor Peter was unlucky enough to work with Jean Gable, a Slytherin. Jean Gable was quiet, not among the pure-blood elite, and always been unfriendly towards majority of the student population. And James – Sirius felt an uncomfortable pang – would be working with Leila Yaxley.

James was as good a brother to Sirius, but there were things dealing with his family that Sirius kept to himself. It was half because of embarrassment and half to protect himself, and because he didn't want pity or sympathy. James knew about the marital arrangement with Leila Yaxley and about the first note she'd sent. The other notes from Leila Yaxley, he had kept from his friends. Sirius had a premonition as James joined Leila that James would know about it all shortly.

"It isn't fair Professor Slughorn matched Snape and Lily," Mary McDonald complained as she took the seat that James had occupied moments ago.

"You would rather work with Snape?" Sirius exclaimed.

"Heaven's no! But they are the best in class." Mary paused looking adoringly at him. "Don't worry, I'm absolutely thrilled to be partnered with you."

Sirius didn't return the sentiments. Mary talked too much, in his opinion. She could also be a bit overbearing, and he still remembered that terrible Hogsmeade date they'd gone on in their third year. It had been his first date with a girl, Mary had been the only third year brave enough to ask him, even though other girls had dreamed of it, and Sirius, in the first thrusts of adolescence, had accepted. If he recalled correctly, she had brazenly and sloppily kissed him on the lips at the end of the date.

"I'll get the ingredients," he told her shortly.

Returning to his seat it was glaringly obvious that Leila Yaxley had some sort of plan. She had moved her stool as close as possible to James and had inclined her head towards him, speaking intently, too intimately, in Sirius's opinion.

"Potter moving in on your girl?" Mary asked sweetly. Sirius was already on guard; Mary was not known for her sweetness.

"What?" Heat was rising in his face.

"By the looks of it, Potter is getting a bit close with her and with the plethora of rumors about Leila Yaxley and you…and you did look upset when you glanced over at her."

She was grasping at straws, hoping he'd reveal something that she could use to fuel the rumors.

"James or anyone else is welcome to her." Despite his intent to hide the stiffness he felt, it was loud and clear. As he fumbled to light the fire underneath the cauldron it only proved to Mary that he was indeed bothered.

"Oh," Mary replied. She tugged her dirty blonde hair back into a ponytail. "Over her already? Just another girl to add to your cast-aways?"

He turned to her sharply and she blushed at the intensity of his gaze. Mary McDonald had since that terrible date continued to flirt with him and most other decent looking blokes. He'd also heard her speaking about how she'd fallen madly in love with Professor Keenan. As far as he could recall, she had never had a boyfriend. She waited for his reply and dozens of them formed in his mind, each one more hurtful than the next…

"Ah, let's see. Mr. Black, Miss McDonald, perhaps if you were speaking less you'd be further along on the potion."

"Sorry Professor," Mary said, dutifully taking a piece of moonstone Sirius had retrieved and powdering it under Slughorn's watch. Sirius busied himself by getting out the scales they'd need to measure the powder.

"I'll check on you two in a bit then…"

Slughorn had moved on to the next pair, and Sirius immediately grabbed Mary's arm and leaning in, he whispered intently, "Leave it all alone. If you know what's good for you, leave it alone."

Mary did not speak of Leila Yaxley or James or any other piece of gossip through the class period. The pair completed the potion in silence, receiving a satisfactory mark from Slughorn. At the end of class, Leila made a point of walking by his bench, her body brushing the wooden desk.

Mary McDonald took note of it all, her eyes flitting back and forth between Leila and Sirius. The interaction between hadn't lasted long, but it was enough to inflame Mary's imagination.

Sirius was ready to leave and he gathered up his belongings in a rush, but not quickly enough.

"I'm going to be a reporter for the Daily Prophet," Mary told him waspishly, her hand on his arm, stopping him from leaving. "And a good reporter doesn't let a story go, threats or not. I'll get to the bottom of it Black – whatever is going on between Leila Yaxley and you – and that is a promise."

* * *

After double Potions there was always a morning break for the fifth years.

"Let's go-" Sirius began.

"Outside," James finished for him. The four boys laughed. It was a common joke between them on how similar Sirius and James's thoughts ran.

It was raining again, forcing the boys to remain under the cover of the stone structure that encircled the courtyard. The titter and tatter of the drips landing on the stone statues and cobblestones was relaxing.

James and Remus remained standing, leaning against one of the walls. Sirius and Peter were seated on the wide carved stone railing. Sirius was sitting on the rail, knees bent, and his back against the stone pole. Peter's legs were dangling, his back facing the courtyard, and his cloak, which he'd taken off because it was warmer than usual, slung over the rail beside him.

"How long do you suppose Sluggy is going to make us stay with our assigned partners?" James asked. "Yaxley bossed me around the entire period. Cut this, powder that; she was commanding me like a servant."

"She's been trained since birth to boss people around and to think herself better than anyone else," Sirius replied. He knew this all too well having been brought up in a similar manner.

James gave Sirius a funny look and then cleared his throat. "Well that was after I told her to '_bugger off'_'."

"What?" Peter asked confused.

Ignoring Peter, James kept his gaze on Sirius. "She was full of flattery at first – I think she hoped I would sing her praises to you."

"To me?" Peter asked bewildered.

"No, to Sirius."

Sirius shifted uncomfortably.

"She wanted to know why _Sirius _hadn't been returning her notes or any of her advances. I played along and told her that you didn't want anything to do with her, and to '_bugger off'_. She didn't take too kindly to that."

"Leila's been sending you notes?" Peter repeated.

"It's nothing," Sirius stated shortly.

"Nothing? If it was nothing why'd you keep the notes secret?" James asked.

"I'm allowed to keep things to myself. I don't have to tell you lot everything."

"We made a pact," Remus reminded him.

"When we were twelve!"

"I didn't know it was so _meaningless_ to you," Remus responded coldly. Sirius regretted his words immediately. It hadn't been meaningless. At the time they'd just discovered Remus was a werewolf and in order to make Remus feel better and part of the group, they'd all promised from that day forth to tell each other everything.

"There's nothing to tell. I'm not interested in her and she hasn't taken the hint yet that I don't ever want to speak to her," Sirius explained. "That's all."

"Leila Yaxley is the one your parents arranged you to marry?" Remus questioned.

Sirius had never told him this, which meant James had. It was this sort of information he prayed a girl like Mary McDonald would never uncover. The handful of Slytherins that were privy to the information would keep quiet as their parents had commanded, and he wanted it to stay that way.

"Tried to arrange…and if there is anything I can do about it, they won't succeed."

"She's the one you kissed in your Aunt's garden in front of her father?" Remus added.

"Well…yes…how'd you-"

"James told me," Remus said.

"And me too," Peter admitted.

"So she thinks you're interested even though you aren't?" Remus repeated. "I can understand why she hasn't taken your disinterest seriously. After the kiss and the way you were flirting with her when we were getting off the Hogwarts Express. Then you did agree to meet her that one time. "

"I wasn't flirting! Whose side are you on anyway?" Sirius asked. He had been flirting, but in that careless, light way that he used around lots of girls.

"Her side," Remus said with a grin.

"Well do you have any advice then?" Sirius asked. "I can see you are dying to give me some."

"Stop avoiding her and tell it to her face. Explain it to her, instead of ignoring it."

"It isn't that simple…it isn't just a girl going after me, it's her entire family. The Yaxley's are hoping – no _praying_ - on this alliance with the Blacks; they need this alliance to rise anywhere in the world," he said bitterly. "Then there are my parents who want it as well. It is my duty and all to have a proper marriage."

"The Marauders could take care of her," James said suddenly a look of mischief glinting in his eyes.

"No – I've got a handle on it," Sirius said, which was far from the truth. He didn't want his friends being involved in this mess with his family. However, he was grateful for the gesture.

"Actually there is someone else that needs to be taken care of." An idea was already forming in his mind before the sentence was finished.

"Who?" Peter asked eagerly.

"Mary McDonald."

"I'm not hearing this!" Remus said suddenly covering his ears to prove his point.

James rolled his eyes. "We'll just discuss this later when the prefect isn't around."

Remus uncovered his ears cautiously. "What's McDonald done to you?"

"James, Peter, do any of you have the slightest idea of what Remus is talking about?" Sirius asked innocently. "I'm worried about you, mate. Maybe you should get your hearing checked…"

"Oh, never mind," Remus replied though he did give each of his friends a very McGonagall-like stare.

* * *

The second week of classes was almost at an end. It was the first night since they'd been back that James, Sirius, and Peter found free time to continue 'Operation Furry Little Problem.' Remus was at a prefect meeting, and their other two roommates were downstairs engrossed in a game of chess that looked like it could last all night.

The three of them were intensely rummaging through pages of detailed notes, stapled haphazardly together, rolls of parchment tied with coarse string, and diagrams of the human body covered in symbols. There were books, some thick, some with crinkly, yellow paper, while others had pages that were still glossy, scattered of the floor, all with the covers taken off so the subject could not be easily identified. They were bringing with them only the necessary Animagus material.

"James – are you in here?" Victoria Dekker, unabashed, entered the fifth-year dormitory.

"Victoria!" James groaned.

"Oh, dressed? I keep hoping I'll come in here one time and you'll be in nothing, but a towel!" she announced.

"If your mother could only hear you…" James said.

Remus, Peter and Sirius all called a greeting to her.

James had resigned that he would never be free of the pestering of Victoria Dekker. Things had improved; she no longer followed him like a love-sick puppy. Her infatuation lessoned, and James found moments when he did enjoy her company. Usually she was just a pest; especially when she came over his house and his parents or her parents would laugh at his protests to her affections.

James recalled his father one time exclaiming heartedly, "One day James when she's a young woman, you'll be chasing her." At eleven years old he had just gagged and made faces. At fourteen Victoria was very pleasing to the eye, but James knew he would never see her more than a friend. Victoria appeared to accept this, accept for occasional lewd comments.

"So what did Mary McDonald do to incur your revengeful wrath?" she asked conversationally. If she noticed all the books and notes lying around or Sirius buttoning his warm over-cloak, Victoria did not say.

"Who says we did anything to her?" Sirius asked with an innocent air.

"Oh, please. It has your mark all over it. Who else would charm the poor girl's nose to grow larger each hour while her ears shrink at the same pace?"

"Do you think anyone else has figured it out?" wondered Peter.

"Peter!" Sirius groaned.

"Sorry! She knew anyway," Peter protested.

"No one else knows as far as I could tell – it was rather hilarious to watch her walking down the hallway trying to cover both her nose and ears. So I ask again, what did she do?"

"Sticking her nose into things best left alone," Sirius explained.

"Right. Hey, what's going on and where are you going?"

James groaned inwardly. He'd been so hopeful that with her curiosity about Mary satiated, she'd leave before asking this.

"Library, Victoria." He kept his voice stern, though careful not to be rude. She was the daughter of a family friend after all.

"You have enough books between the three of you to start your own library. You're up to something," she accused gesturing towards the strewn objects.

"You caught us," Sirius said. "Look this is a boys only sort of thing. If you let us go peacefully, James will sit with you for breakfast and dinner tomorrow."

"What?" James protested, sending a glare at his friend.

"Tomorrow and the next day, and I'll even cover for you if any prefects start asking questions about your whereabouts."

"Deal!" Sirius stood up, formally shaking Victoria's hand.

"Oi! Don't I get a say in this?" James complained, his anger only half-hearted.

"Nope," Sirius said.

"Aren't you dating Thomas Bauer?" Peter asked out of nowhere. Three sets of eyes turned on him suddenly and he turned instantly pink.

"You are?" James looked shocked. "You're dating a Hufflepuff?"

"So what if I am?" Victoria huffed.

"Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain?" Sirius questioned.

"When did this happen?" James added the question quickly before Victoria had even been able to answer Sirius's question.

"Yes, Sirius," Victoria answered ignoring James's question. She began walking out the door, but James jumped in front of her.

"When did this happen?" James pestered her.

"Are you jealous?" she asked coyly.

"No," James said quickly. He was actually elated. Victoria could now spend all her time bothering this Hufflepuff…but despite not thinking of her romantically, he'd known Victoria forever and his protective instinct was on alert. "Won't your boyfriend be jealous if I sit with you?"

Victoria grinned. "You aren't getting out of it that easily. And you aren't just sitting with me, but with my friends. Besides Amy Andrews has a crush on you."

"I still don't see why you want me to sit with you…" James mumbled.

"Because I can. See you at breakfast." Victoria smiled brightly and skipped off out of the dorm room.

At the shooting glares James was wordlessly sending him, Sirius held his hands up, "That was the only way to rid of her and you know it."

"Right, which of her friends is Amy?" James asked.

"The tall one with braces," Peter supplied.

James knew immediately who Peter was referring to. James rolled his eyes. Amy Andrews was mousy, plain and gangly. Instead of coming back to school curvier like so many other girls, Amy now sported braces. It was too much to hope that of all of Victoria's friends it would be the really good looking one that fancied him.

"Right…so once we get out of the Tower like we planned, Sirius will be under the cloak." James handed him the silvery material bundle to store in a pocket under his robe. The three of them could no longer fit under the cloak together. "I'll be pretending to escorting Peter to the Hospital Wing, in case we run into a teacher, since it is approaching curfew. I found the perfect hex; it looks sinister, but the blue boils are one hundred percent painless."

Peter paled at this new bit of information. "Why do I have to be the one hexed?" Peter asked.

"Because it's the most believable. How many times must we go over that?" Sirius pondered with frustration.

Peter stayed silent though he was still perturbed by the idea.

"Once we get to the fourth floor and through the mirror, well be in the clear. I can undo the hex then," James relayed.

As far as the boys knew, the passage behind the mirror on the fourth floor was the only way out to the Hogwarts ground without using a main door that would be watched by patrolling teachers and prefects.

After gathering the material they felt was essential, the boys bounded down the steps into the common room. Numerous students waved toward them, but as they exited, James sighed a breath of relief that no one had tried to converse with them. The boys reached the fourth floor without a hitch, James had applied the hex on Peter when they were outside of the Tower, away from the watchful eyes of their admirers.

Almost at their destination, James now walked with a bit of a bounce to his step. There was a reason to be excited; tonight could be it. Tonight could be the final step of the Animagus transformations which they'd been working on for years.

The mirror was toward the end of the fourth floor corridor and their footsteps echoed eerily in the hallway. The torches in the hallway were spread out further apart than anywhere else in the castle giving the area a haunting feeling, with the long shadows cast about.

James suddenly turned to look behind him anxiously because it sounded like a fourth set of footsteps had joined them. No one was there. As he turned back ahead, the last person he wanted to run into was approaching, Severus Snape. Snape had paused right in front of the mirror, right where they needed to go. _Did he know it was a passage?_ James doubted it, but the possibility was aggravatingly there.

"Well, well, well," Snape sneered surveying the two of them. James wondered where Sirius was standing and he wanted Peter to stop darting his eyes from the mirror to Snape and back to the mirror then to Snape. The last thing they needed was Snape to think the mirror held any interest to them.

"You look more hideous than usual Pettigrew. Did a spell backfire on you?"

"No, one of your lot did this," James lied. "And we'll be reporting it."

"Good thing you're with him, Potter. The fat lump would get lost without you. Now the million galleon question, where is Black?"

"Mind your own business, Snivellus. Get out of here before I hex you."

"By all means, you're welcome to pass by to the Hospital Wing, did you say? I have every right to be here and I don't feel like moving."

"_Stupefy!_"

Snape crumbled to the ground. From underneath the cloak, emerged Sirius, who kicked the form of Snape lightly to verify he indeed was unconscious.

"Why'd you do that?" James asked.

"Did he look like he was about to leave anytime? It's like he can sense we are up to something, the bloody idiot."

"But once he wakes, I'll be the one he reports on. I can't get detention tomorrow, I have to be at Quidditch tryouts or Gallagher will kill me."

Threat of missing Quidditch was probably the only thing that could make James regret receiving a detention.

Sirius slid the mirror open. "If he does snitch on you, I'll take the blame. I snuck up behind him or something. Now let's go before Snivellus comes around."

They lit their wands as they stepped into the narrow, but tall passage. James murmured the countercurse and the boils on Peter's face disappeared. The passage was winding and steepened at parts, after all it needed to bring them from the fourth floor to the ground floor. At the end, there was a small square door, which unlocked after three wand taps. The door was large enough for an adult to crawl through on their knees. Outside they doused their wands and donned on the hoods, the dark sky giving them plenty of cover from anyone looking outside a castle window.

The adventure was not yet complete, and James quickly froze the Whomping Willow with a long stick. The next passage, which was under the tree would take them directly to the Shrieking Shack. The Shrieking Shack safely held Remus each full moon night, locking the werewolf in with wards and charms. To an outsider it might have seemed an unnecessary long trip when Hogwarts was filled with empty rooms – but only the Shrieking Shack could provide them with absolute privacy and as their activity was illegal to the level of incarceration in Azkaban, even risk-takers such as the Marauders would not chance it.

The long walk gave James plenty of time to think. And there were lots of things to ponder about. They were about to embark on the most dangerous part of the Animagus process. All the other steps had dangers, but any problems could be easily reversible.

Inside the bag slung over his shoulder were three tiny vials each containing four drops of a magenta potion. The liquid would induce a trance-like state which would allow a person's animal form to immerge from his unconscious mind. Before completing the wandless transformation, it was important to clear your mind and not have any preconceived notions about the animal you would become. You had to come to the realization that you have no choice in your animal form, and that it was possible you could turn into a slug, cockroach or other less pleasing animals. It was of the utmost importance not to panic or be disappointment; either of these two emotions or both could have dire consequences. If you panicked it was possible to be stuck permanently in the trance-like state or if panic occurred later, during the transformation, it could cause you to be trapped in half-transformation state. If you had severe disappointment, especially if your mind was already set on a specific animal form, your mind could iwill/i your body to turn into an animal you were not destined form. The human mind could be dangerously powerful, and if you did transform into the wrong animal, the animal's instincts would overcome your human mind, and there had been cases of wizards and witches, who never regained their human mind.

"Are we there yet?" Peter asked for the fourth time.

James was about to tell Peter to shut-up when at the end of the tunnel he spotted the trapdoor that would allow them entrance into the Shrieking Shack.

"Yes," James answered with a laugh. He was tired from the walk himself, and he wanted to get to it already.

The three of them entered the Shrieking Shack, and Sirius locked the trapdoor tightly behind them. Each room as the boys walked through looked in worse shape; claw and bite marks on almost every surface. They managed to scrounge three large pillows to sit on in the upper area. Now that they were here the tension and nervous energy inside of each of them began to build even more.

James began emptying his bag, taking out the notes and books they had decided to take with them. He carefully placed the three magenta potion filled vials with one dropper in front of him. Their notes for Animagus-training were nothing like their school notes. These had been written meticulously, immensely detailed and clear. A mistake in even the smallest detail could mean death, so the boys had been obsessively careful.

Almost three years had passed since the idea to become Animagi had first come to Sirius, James, and Peter. It was the most complicated Transfiguration, and according to the books, no underage wizard would have the magical knowledge or capability to do this successfully. Yet here they were. Not that it had been easy. James could write a novel about all the setbacks that had occurred. He reminisced about the inventive schemes they'd used to purchase the proper books and odd ingredients from shady venues. There had also been moments when they'd wanted to give up, frustrated, feeling they were attempting the impossible. Yet every month as they helplessly watched the full moon's pull wreck havoc on Remus – their resolve was renewed. The nausea to lethargy to self induced gashes and bites; failure was not an option.

Though James didn't like to think about this, none of them were hundred percent sure humans in animal form could harmlessly hang with a werewolf; no one had ever tested it before. They'd kept this from Remus, who would only unnecessarily worry. The fact that werewolves were not dangerous to animals was well-documented, but what of humans who'd merely transformed themselves into one. Would the werewolf still regard the animal as human? Would they still smell like humans? Would that be enough to excite the wolf?

"So this is it," James began; his voice was an octave too high. Peter looked queasy and Sirius's face was unnaturally tense. "We've all read the instructions? We've all have them memorized?"

Sirius and Peter nodded, heads bobbing more quickly than natural from the nerves.

"Anyone have any questions?"

"It's a little late for that, isn't it?' Sirius let out a dry laugh.

"If any of us doesn't feel prepared – we'll just have to postpone it," James insisted. He knew Sirius was just trying to let go of some of the tension in the room, but James wanted to make sure that Peter didn't feel pressured to take this last step before he felt fully prepared. So James forced both of them to recite the instructions aloud one more time. After he also stated it one more time, there was suddenly, as if time had sped up, nothing else was left to do, but actually do it.

He turned to them both, his adrenaline rushing. "One of us has to go first."

Sirius gave him a nod, willing to take the lead, but someone else spoke up first.

"I will." Peter's voice was high and loud.

"Peter I'm not sure you should," James said skeptically leaving his reasons unspoken. Peter's weakest subject was Transfiguration and he'd been the slowest to go through the process up to this point – it would be foolish to let him sacrifice himself…

"Let me do it, Peter," Sirius said giving a chance for Peter to rescind and save face.

"No." The word reverberated around the room. "Sirius, James, I have to go first – or – or-I-I'll never do it." He was stuttering and shaking, but there was a determined look in his eyes, the look of a Marauder. James and Sirius exchanged worried glances, and Sirius made a half-shrug gesture, and James could read in Sirius's look the same thing he was thinking; Peter had never been first on anything; and maybe it was time that they let him just do that.

"Ok. Only if you are sure," James relented.

"I am."

"Should we go over it one more time?"

"I know it!" Peter replied tersely a tone he rarely used toward James. "I know what to do. I'm not stupid."

James silently handed over one of the three small vial of the most expensive potion any of them had handled. James bit back the warning to tell Peter to be extra careful with it. They had only enough for three doses.

"Good luck," James uttered instead. Peter moved to the center of the room, kneeling, while James and Sirius moved to opposite ends of the room, as close to the walls as possible. They drew wands out, ready to aide Peter, though it was doubtful if anything did go wrong that either could be of help.

Peter closed his eyes; first step about to commence, sweat was forming on his forehead. The first step was to clear your mind, control your breathing and relax your mind. The books had stressed to work on relaxation from the beginning. It had been hardest for Sirius who was rash, and easiest to conquer for Peter. James watched as Peter visibly relaxed in front of him, the training kicking in. Step two was to place four drops of the magenta liquid, which should cause Peter to fall into a trance-like state.

James followed Peter's hand as he took the vial and dropper, dripping the liquid on his tongue. Peter let the empty vial roll out of his hand onto the floor; his eyes closed once more. At this point the image of your animal was supposed to be uncovered and the second the image was clear, you had to focus all your energy, mind, and magic on it; grab it; embrace it. If it was done properly, you'd transform almost instantly that first time.

James waited, anticipation causing every muscle in his body; in his arms, legs, face to tense. Only nothing was happening. No trance. No transformation. Just silence, awful unbearable silence.

_Something was wrong._

James was afraid to meet Sirius's eyes; the same terror he felt reflecting in Sirius's gaze, causing them both to be momentarily frozen. Then Peter began twitching and trembling, a cry formed on his lips, and Peter fell to the floor, thrashing around, arms and legs flailing. His skin was also turning an odd yellow color. Not one of these effects had been described in any of the dozens of books they'd poured over.

James turned away. Peter had stopped thrashing and now lay like a corpse, still. Sirius kneeled down beside his friend, shaking him, murmuring spells that were meant to awaken. James began pacing. He'd get help- but from where? By the time he reached Hogwarts it could be too late. That left Hogsmeade. It was late and everyone would be asleep. There was no choice, but to knock on every door until someone allowed him to use their fireplace to call St. Mungos and alert Professor Dumbledore.

"I'm going for help-" James said, his voice breaking slightly, heavy with worry. He didn't look back at Sirius or the lifeless body of his friend.

He'd find someone – he had to – Merlin – they'd all be expelled for sure – and if Peter survived this…

"James! Wait!"

"There's no time to wait!"

"But look- Peter's – a – look – he's a – uh-"

Sirius let out a strangled half-laugh, half sob.

James swiveled around, his eyes found the spot where Peter's body had been lying – only there was a pile of clothes, no Peter, and from under the black robes – scurrying through the material – was a rat!

* * *

**Author's note: **If you could take the time to leave a review, I sure would appreciate it. Thanks to all my readers, old and new, and especially those who are still reading after the very long time between updates.


	7. Marauder or Prefect?

**Author's note: **Quick update, yeah?

* * *

**Chapter Seven** _**Marauder or Prefect?**_

Remus pinned his prefect badge neatly on his robes.

_Imagine, Hogwarts' first werewolf, a prefect._

Four years of watching other prefects - of watching prefects taking points off of James and Sirius- and Remus didn't feel he fit the prefect mold. All the prefects before him had appeared self-assured and driven by their new power.

He stared at himself in the mirror a few more moments, unpinning the badge again to place it a bit higher on the front of his robes, before leaving the bathroom and entering back into the dorm.

Sirius and James were chatting on Sirius's bed, open textbooks long forgotten. Peter was hurriedly copying Remus's notes from Care of Magical Creatures; Peter had spilled pumpkin juice on his own notes, and the ink had run to the extent that the words were now unreadable. None of these behaviors were out of the ordinary except for the unsubtle way James, Sirius and Peter kept stealing glances at the clock. Remus had the impression his friends were anxiously waiting for his departure from the dorm.

Remus strolled over to his bed and rummaged around in his bag to retrieve his patrolling sheets. "I best go meet Evans and the other prefects in the common room," he announced.

"Bye."

"Have fun."

"Later, mate."

Yes, there was a distinct urgency to their speech, but Remus had other pressing matters than to worry about that. All the other Gryffindors were already present as he descended the stairs.

Gideon Prewett and Elizabeth Gregory were the seventh year prefects. Gideon's younger brother, Fabian, was a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Claire Haddon and Luke Weller were the sixth years. Besides Gideon Prewett and Lily Evans, Remus knew nothing about the other prefects. Especially considering the friends he had, they generally avoided friendship with the prefect types.

Tonight was the first official prefect meeting and they had agreed to walk to it together. According to the information packet Remus had received over the summer, the meetings would fall once every two weeks. The senior prefects had already warned Remus and Lily the meetings tended to be stiflingly boring and for the most part did little to aide the prefects.

Remus, though, had different reasons for not looking forward to the meeting. The identity of the perpetrators of the hex preformed on Mary McDonald was bothering him. He knew James and Sirius were responsible, though he hadn't seen them do the actual spell, only days before he'd heard them speaking of it. As a prefect he knew it was his duty to turn them in, but as a close friend the choice was not so simple.

It was always this behavior – student hexing – that Remus felt most uncomfortable with concerning his friends. The pranks tended to be less student-specific, so those did not bother him as much.

Remus had been a well-behaved, obedient child before Hogwarts. He'd been careful to control himself when he could, because once a month he was unable to. Since receiving the werewolf bite, he had tried to attract as little attention as possible to himself, a value instilled in him by his parents.

Then, knowing all the hurdles Dumbledore had overcome so a werewolf could safely attend Hogwarts, Remus had decided he wouldn't cause an ounce of trouble. That was before he'd met James, Sirius, and Peter. His friends had pestered him the first year to join in on a prank or at the least break a school rule; any rule, they weren't picky. He'd given in eventually and though he didn't exactly have a penchant for mischief making, Remus had enjoyed the prank process. He supposed it was because of the camaraderie; the four of them, heads huddled, butterbeer or hot cocoa in their hands; they'd bounce ideas off each other for hours.

It quickly became apparent that Remus was good at the logistics of a prank. As Sirius had said, Remus 'grounded' the group. Even days later, Sirius's statement still made him smile. It had always struck Remus how Sirius could be so thoughtless and careless with his words and then a second later say something profound and touching. He was part of the Marauders for better or worse and he wouldn't have it any other way.

The Gryffindor prefects were now walking through the corridors to the meeting room on the second floor.

"I heard Joanne Finn wanted our meetings on Friday nights, but Jacob Long overruled her," Claire Haddon gossiped.

"Why would she do that?" Lily asked. "Finn's Friday nights would be ruined just like the rest of us."

"Finn wants to show off her new power as Head Girl. Show us lesser beings that she controls our lives," Gideon explained. "We all need to be on guard. If she can place every Gryffindor prefect on probation, she will."

Remus sighed, adding this to the list of other things he needed to remember about being a prefect. Rounds assigned four times a week, and one falling on a Friday or Saturday night. As fifth year prefects they also had to be available at select times during the week for Gryffindor first years for help with homework and homesickness, and to teach them the rules and the most direct routes to different areas of the castle.

The Gryffindors filed into the meeting room silently. Two-seat tables had been arranged in four distinct sections. The other prefects that already had arrived had seated themselves by House. Gideon, who was currently dating a Hufflepuff prefect, did not heed the seating, choosing to sit among the Hufflepuffs. Remus followed the Gryffindors and was pleased when Lily took the seat beside him.

"Prewett, seat yourself with your housemates," Joanne Finn, the Head Girl, commanded.

"Why? Is this some new rule?" Gideon responded.

Finn regarded him coolly. She and the Head Boy, Jacob Long, were sitting on throne-like chairs very different from the simple wooden chairs the rest of them were on.

"Yes, it is," Long spoke. "Finn and I have decided that in order to keep better track of attendance, everyone will be seated by house."

Gideon looking sour, joined the Gryffindors, and Lily, indignant on Gideon's behalf, whispered to Remus, "How are we, as prefects, supposed to unite the student body if we can't even sit with other houses?"

Remus, unsure of the correct reply, made a noncommittal sound. He didn't know there was any sort of movement going on to unite everyone. If such a thing were to happen, Lily would be the perfect example. She, after all, was friendly with Severus Snape; a boy disliked by a large percent of the student population and, in Remus's opinion, a boy that embodied every one of the characteristics of a true Slytherin. James and Sirius had a longstanding rivalry with Snape, and by default so did Peter and Remus.

As Long started the prefect meeting, Remus didn't find him as disagreeable as he thought he would. The consensus had been that he would let Finn walk over him, but so far he'd held his own.

The Heads finished their introduction, and the reports from that weeks patrolling and other student misconduct write-ups were collected. Then each prefect introduced themselves (year, where they were from, favorite class). After that, they were instructed by next weeks meeting to create, using both magical and non-magical means, a way to display the monthly birthdays of each house member. The House with the best idea would be rewarded with a day off from patrolling (excluding Friday or Saturday nights).

Next, there was a time allocated for prefects who wished to speak about a concern, suggestion, complaint or idea. No prefect at the moment had anything to say, but a few of the new prefects used the time to receive clarification of certain duties. Finn passed out a list of the most popular banned items on Filch's list based on what the prefects had confiscated from last year. The entire list, which all prefects were strongly suggested to view, could be found in Filch's office.

The meeting was coming to a close and Remus was ready to leave when Finn cleared her throat.

"Wait." Her voice was low, deadly. "Where is Remus Lupin?"

Remus shrank in his seat. His stomach dropped, alarms ringing in his head.

"Here," Remus stated tentatively, bringing everyone's attention to him, Finn's eyes locked on him and he was reminded of a cobra that had just spotted her lunch.

"Are you close friends with James Potter and Sirius Black?"

"Yes, I am," Remus said softly. His face felt hot and he was sure he was as red as a tomato. He never liked being the center of attention; he never actively sought it like James, and it did not actively seek him like it did Sirius.

"You share a dormitory with them?"

"I do."

"I find it interesting that in your last report and in the one from the week before, you have not once written-up either of your friends, Black and Potter."

"No, I haven't, but only because-" he paused a moment, figuring out a way to explain. "Because they haven't broken any rules, at least not in front of me." It was the truth, even though he still had guilty thoughts about Mary McDonald.

"Not one? I find that difficult to believe. Sirius Black received a detention the first night back from Professor Keenan."

"Finn, we aren't allowed to disclose other student's records," Elizabeth Gregory said.

Finn ignored Gregory. "I hope, Lupin, you are taking your duties seriously."

"I am," Remus stated quietly.

"And you do understand your duty to keep the school in order comes before any pacts of friendship."

_Such as the Marauders?_ Remus thought wryly to himself. He nodded, wishing the floor would swallow him up.

"Back when my grandfather and father were at Hogwarts, prefects were respected and revered," Finn said.

"You have to understand, Lupin," Long interrupted with a smile as if to assure Remus they were on the same side, "your friends have continually thwarted what we have attempted to establish with the prefect system. Potter and Black regularly ignore school rules. They've been consistently rude to any prefect that catches them in the act. They don't appear to care about getting in trouble. The prefect system was setup in a way to have students govern students. If, by example of your friends, students feel they can question prefects, we cannot do our job properly. The rules have been put in place for everyone's safety. If Potter and Black could be reined in, even a little, it would benefit everyone. We need your help, Lupin. Who better to do that – who better to show Black and Potter the error of their ways, than you, Lupin, a close friend."

Remus cast his eyes downward, his guilt only aggravated by Long's speech. "I'll do what I can."

"Oh, you better," Finn hissed.

"Now that we have that taken care of," Long began. Some of the prefects laughed. "The meeting is adjourned. We'll be serving cookies and juice for those who wish to stay."

Though the spotlight was off him, Remus couldn't wait to leave the room. He was in no mood to stay for socialization. A terrible thought had occurred to him; the only reason he'd been appointed prefect was to exercise control over James and Sirius. The school needed some way to take care of the problem, and he'd been selected. Not because he'd exhibited prefect qualities, as his parents had been led to believe, but because he was best friends with the worst troublemakers in the school.

He went out of the room, and speedily made his way down the hall.

"Lupin, wait up!"

Remus paused, more out of habit from someone calling out to him than actually wanting to speak to someone. Lily was jogging after him. Lily had always been critical of James and Sirius, so he couldn't fathom her words mollifying him in any way. He needed an ally and not someone who'd rant about his choice in friends.

By the time Lily had caught up, Remus had reached the staircase. Lily motioned him to sit down, and she handed over two cookies wrapped in a napkin.

"Not as good as Mrs. Potter's," she started lightly.

Remus forced a smile.

"Finn was out of order." Lily placed a hand on his shoulder, her green eyes expressive with concern.

"I can't always control their actions," Remus burst, aware he sounded whiny.

"No one expects that of you," remarked Lily.

Except that was exactly what Remus feared he was supposed to do.

"It sounded like they do! Were you not there? Merlin, the way Finn and Long were talking…James and Sirius have caused Hogwarts to be overrun with rule breakers."

Lily laughed; it was not the response he'd anticipated. "The Heads did give your friends more blame than _even_ they deserve."

"Even I'll admit they get out of hand sometimes, but…" He couldn't describe to Lily how much it meant that, without question, they'd accepted his lycanthropy. Many of his parents' friends and neighbors had abandoned them after they'd heard his parents had been raising a werewolf child. You can't purchase loyalty like that. "They are the best friends I could ask for."

It sounded contrite, but it was the truth.

"I'm sure every prefect is guilty of 'looking the other way' when a friend breaks the rules. Nothing to beat yourself up about."

Remus jerked his head upward. "You wouldn't," Remus said softly.

"I haven't yet – but I've still a year of possibilities. My friends aren't like yours. You should hear Severus go on and on about Potter and Black. He's convinced they are _always_ up to something. And not just small things, either, expulsion worthy projects."

"He's not that far off," Remus said. They both burst out laughing, and Remus felt his worry ebbing.

"I really think if you talked to them…explain that as prefect you _must_ uphold school rules for everyone, including them. If they are as good of friends as you say, they'll listen and understand. If plotting mischief is more important to them than your feelings, they are being disrespectful, and you need to find better friends. If they respect you…"

"I know, and you're right."

Only he wasn't as confident as he sounded. He knew James and Sirius would be delighted to be named as adversaries to the prefect system. They wouldn't be ashamed; they'd take it as the highest compliment to be bestowed on any mischief maker.

"Let's go to the common room, shall we? Speak to them tonight. The sooner you do it, the better," Lily encouraged.

Despite Lily's pep talk, Remus dallied in the James-Sirius-Peter-free environment of the common room when he and Lily returned. He chatted with Lily, and some of the other girls. Mary McDonald was hiding upstairs even though all her facial features were back to their proper sizes.

Surprised his friends were not making an appearance in the common room, Remus, yawning, bade the girls goodnight. Ascending the stairs to the dorm, Remus felt nervousness for the confrontation begin to take over. He'd decided to heed Lily's advice. His friends could laugh and admonish him all they wanted; he'd get his point across to them. The confidence Remus had built on his way up deflated upon only seeing Terry Keeler and Derek Newbell preparing for bed. Neither knew where his friends had gotten to, and glancing at the clock on his bed stand, Remus noted it was over an hour past curfew.

While shuffling around, he searched under his pillow and by his desk, looking for any clue as to their whereabouts. He'd been able to ignore the hex on Mary, but he couldn't ignore this. Not after suffering through the prefect meeting, not after speaking to Lily about their disrespect regarding his prefect position. Tomorrow morning he'd write them up for being out of bed.

* * *

"Remus… Remus…"

There was a voice calling his name through a long, narrow tunnel. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and he tried to shrug it off; it wasn't too late to recapture his dream.

"Remus! Wake up!" Same voice, only louder and closer.

"What?" he said groggily.

"Ssshhh!" A second, different voice.

Remus moaned, having only enough strength to open one eye. In the shrouded darkness, he could barely discern the faces of James, Sirius, and Peter.

"Leave me alone. I'm sleeping." He shut his one eye, turning away.

"Remus, we need to show you something." There was barely contained excitement in James's voice. James sounded like he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Show me later," Remus mumbled, voice still laden with sleep. If they'd leave him be, he'd be back asleep in seconds.

"Come on, get up!" Sirius said. "It's important."

"Not as important as sleep," Remus said back, but he rolled out of bed.

He wrapped a warm robe around himself, padding down the stairs into the common room after his friends. His eyes battled the light; Remus forced them open, and his body struggled to deal with the reality that he was now awake.

"You should have put on trainers," were the first words out of Peter's mouth.

"Why? What time is it anyway?"

"Two in the morning," James supplied.

"Have you been out the entire night?" Remus demanded.

"Yes." The smile attached to Sirius's words, the casualness, nettled Remus. Sirius repeated Peter's comment. "You really ought to retrieve your trainers."

"Why? I'm not leaving the common room and neither are you," Remus retorted. He was annoyed that they'd broken the rules and that they'd woken him up to just continue breaking them.

"We can't show you here," James said. He looked anxious and unable to stand still.

"I don't want to know. I'm writing you up for being out of bed. And did you hex Mary McDonald?"

"Mary McDonald?" James looked surprised.

"Yes, you remember her? She's in our year and she spent the night hiding in her dorm, embarrassed by the hex. I know you are behind it." Remus crossed his arms defiantly.

"You told on us?" Peter asked quickly. "I didn't have anything to do with it at all – James and Sirius-"

"I didn't snitch on you. I should have though." James and Sirius looked slightly abashed. "Can we just go back to bed?"

"Remus, you don't understand," James stated, jumping in front of him so Remus's way was blocked. "We – er- tonight – we – Sirius do you want to show him?"

"Here? Now?" Sirius looked around the empty common room apprehensively. Despite everything, Remus was intrigued.

"I'll place a block on each of the stairs leading to the common room." James headed over and mumbled a spell.

Remus waited, casting an annoyed look. Peter was biting his lip. Sirius took a deep breath and closed his grey eyes tightly. Seconds ticked by…

"What are we waiting for?" Remus asked, not wanting to spend a moment more out of bed.

"I need silence, Remus!" Sirius yelled crossly.

Remus glared as Sirius's face tensed in concentration.

"What are-" Remus's jaw dropped as his words faltered. In place of Sirius was a large, shaggy black dog. A shiver ran up his spine, His mind unable to process what he was seeing through his astonishment. The black dog padded around the room, making a quick lap. Remus couldn't rip his eyes off the animal, afraid that if he did, he'd wake up from the dream. Sirius transformed back into human form, now smugly smiling, deeply satisfied by his accomplishment. Looking a bit drained from the transformation, Sirius lounged on one of the couches, stretching out, hands behind his head.

Thoughts were finally beginning to come together in Remus's mind, but he was not yet able to coherently speak. James undid the blocking spells.

He had no idea his friends had been this close to becoming Animagi. Never in his mind did he believe they'd ever be successful in this endeavor. It was something he'd dreaded and desperately wished for at the same time.

Sirius, James, and Peter were all eagerly waiting for his approval.

"You've actually done it?" Remus voiced, sounding hoarse. He sank into the nearest red, puffy armchair, joining Sirius.

"I know! Hah!" James let out a cry of triumph.

"You and Peter, too?" Remus questioned.

"Yes, yes! Peter turns into a rat and I turn into a stag. Can you bloody believe it?"

He most certainly could not _bloody_ believe it. He shook his head.

"You did this just tonight?"

"Last step was tonight," Sirius explained. "We've been working on this for a _mere_ three years."

Remus knew they'd been working on it for quite some time, but he never had the nerve to ask them about their progress. It was a dangerous enough without him encouraging them.

"See, we weren't creating mayhem, Remus," James teased.

"You did this in the castle? What if someone had caught you?"

"That's why we went to the Shrieking Shack," Peter added.

"You knew, though, that tonight would be the night?" Remus asked.

"We had hoped," Sirius continued. "We didn't want to say anything to you, incase things went wrong. We did have a close call with Peter. For a moment James and I thought he was – well everything worked out. And now we've all successfully changed a half-dozen times."

"Does it hurt?" He was thinking of his own painful transformations.

"No, just a tingling sensation."

"It's mentally exhausting, though," Peter volunteered. "According to the book it should get easier with time and practice."

Remus's anger had dissipated, dissolving as quickly as an ice cube thrown into a cup of boiling water. His words to Lily about his friendship with these boys had never rang truer. He wanted to express the warmth spreading through his body; he wanted to let them know this meant the world to him. Eloquent words escaped him.

"Thank you," he murmured feeling the words inadequate. "You didn't have to do this…"

"We wanted to," James insisted.

"We wanted to help. No one should have to go through what you do alone," added Sirius.

"It's just – unbelievable-"

"We have to begin preparing for the next full moon-" James said.

"Wait," Remus said. He'd barely processed the fact his friends could turn into animals at will. He wasn't ready to think of the next step, James, Sirius, and Peter accompanying him on full moon nights. His transformations were painful and lonely, but also very private. "You really think you'll be comfortable enough?"

"Why not?" Sirius said. "We've all done it successfully a few times. We practice a bit more, and then it's just the logistics of accompanying you."

"If you're sure…"

"Remus, _we_ are," insisted James with a smirk.

Remus laughed, and the others joined in. He already knew, despite his insistence that they wouldn't be able to talk him out of it, that he wouldn't write them up. How could he? They'd disobeyed curfew for him. _To help him_. It was no way to repay them.

James and Peter took seats on the couches as well, and Sirius, with a flick of his wand, lit the fire. Going back to sleep now would be impossible. Remus's mind was still turning with the news. Caught up in their own cleverness, they spoke quietly for another hour or two. Interrupting each other constantly, James, Sirius, and Peter described in finer detail their night, starting with Victoria Dekker's arrival in the dorm.

The fire eventually died out, and one by one (Sirius first, Peter last) they fell asleep in the armchairs. This was how little Jeremy Blunt and Jacob Shores found them, racing each other down the stairs with the bountiful energy of first-years. Blunt and Shore stopped short – recognizing the sleeping forms instantly. The first years idolized James and Sirius especially, awed by their rather spectacular reputation. Seconds later, the first years scampered out of the common room, and the resulting shutting of the Portrait door woke Peter. He, in turn, rigorously shook the others awake, and they crept upstairs before anyone else came down.

* * *

The quartet was spotted yawning and stretching lazily as they entered the Great Hall. James's hair looked more messed up than usual, and all their robes looked rumpled. Their entrance was noticed by a large percentage of the student body, but only Severus Snape studied their movement with obsessive care. He'd woken up on the floor in the fourth floor corridor, Potter and Pettigrew long gone. The Golden Gryffindors looked as though they'd been out all night; Potter and Pettigrew must have been on their way to meet Lupin and Black.

"James, over here!" Victoria Dekker called. She pointed enthusiastically to the sole empty seat between her and her friend Amy. Victoria's boyfriend had looked up suspiciously at the sound of her voice, but everyone had to sit with their housemates during breakfast and dinner. Lunch, which was at different times depending on grade level, allowed some inter-house seating.

"You aren't going to make me sit with her alone?" protested James.

"Afraid of a girl? Where's your Gryffindor courage?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, shut-up," James mumbled as Sirius pushed James forward. "I'll get you back for this."

In order to get to Victoria and her friends, James had to walk by the girls in their year. James playfully pulled at Lily Evans' braids as he sauntered by. Evans swiveled around abruptly, raising her eyebrows at James, who flashed her a smile. Evans rolled her eyes and her friends tittered around her.

Seated almost at the end of Gryffindor table, Sirius piled eggs and toast on his plate. He downed a large glass of orange juice. Peter was strangely eating slowly, still appearing groggy. Remus, on the other hand, was tucking into his food most enthusiastically. There was a positive change in Remus, though Sirius might have been imagining it. And Sirius was convinced his friend's happiness and confidence was because of their success last night. If things continued to go as planned, Remus would no longer be alone on those terrible full-moon nights.

Changing into an animal was a unique experience. The actual transformation was very neutral, besides a slight tingling sensation; there was nothing unpleasant nor pleasant about it. Once you were in full animal form, the world suddenly appeared calmer and simpler. Animagi retained their human mind completely when transformed along with their animals' characteristics. Sirius was amazed by both his new sense of smell and hearing. He couldn't wait to transform again, and test out his abilities. Being an Animagus not only helped his friend, but it opened up a new world of possibilities. Exploring the Forbidden Forest was dangerous even to the bravest wizard; it would certainly be safer as a dog, stag, and rat.

Suddenly, from where James was seated, there was an outburst of laughter. Victoria and all her friends were laughing in his direction and giggling madly, and James was smirking.

"What do you think James is telling them?" Sirius asked Peter and Remus.

Remus chuckled. "Probably that you snore…"

"I don't snore, that's Peter."

"I can't help it," Peter mumbled.

"Or that you sleep in the nude-"

"I don't," protested Sirius, though on second thought, it wouldn't have been the worst of rumors.

"James can say anything he wants. I doubt any of those girls will ever find out the truth," Peter stated.

Loud laughter erupted again, the girls casting curiously long glances. Sirius glared at his plate and attacked it with is fork.

Peter, though, looked pleased. "He's really getting back at you, isn't he?"

"James doesn't really mind Victoria…and if she's dating that Hufflepuff he doesn't even have anything to dislike about her company. And honestly, her friend Amy isn't as bad as Justine Lee. Now then I could understand his anger if I made him sit with her." Justine was a year above them, with terrible acne and hair so thick small items could certainly get lost in it. She was withdrawn and an easy butt of jokes among students.

At the end of the meal, James extracted himself from Victoria's clutches.

"Well?" Sirius asked.

"Well what?" James responded.

"What were you saying about me?"

"Why in Godric's name would I waste a breath on you?"

"Maybe if you used more subtlety."

"Subtlety's no fun, my dear friend. Let's just say I told them about your sleeping companion."

"Sleeping companion?"

"Fuzzy the Panda…you've slept with her since you were a wee little lad, and still do."

"Anything else about myself I should know about?"

"Yes, the large pink heart tattoo above your navel."

"What?!"

"They were very intrigued by it, said showed you had a sensitive side."

"Sleep with one eye open tonight, Potter."

James grinned, unperturbed. "Oh, I'd be nice to me, or I might spill about that night in our first year when you cried yourself to sleep because you missed our dear old Mum."

"Remus, remind me why I'm friends with this git."

"I'm not getting involved," Remus replied, motioning the group to walk out of the Great Hall.

"I can help you there – because I'm funny and charming – and-" James stopped. Severus Snape was approaching the same exit as they were at that moment.

"Snivellus," James greeted nastily.

"Have a nice fall last night, Snivellus," Sirius asked with a haughty laugh.

Peter and James chuckled.

Snape glared at the group. "It was you then last night, Black?" Snape sounded bored, as if he were just taking stock of the situation. He didn't even sound the least bit angry.

Sirius shrugged. "And if it was? Going to snitch on me?

"Unlike you Black, I have patience. I can wait, but I will get back at you, for last night and for everything you've done and are going to do."

"Right – as you can see we're all quaking in our boots."

"Let's go. We'll be late for class," Remus muttered, and the four friends took off down the hall.

* * *

**Author's note: **There's not much plot advancement in this chapter, but it's important in the development of the Marauders. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please take the time to leave a review.

Also I'm very excited about this new 800 word prequel by J.K. Rowling starring James and Sirius three years before Harry was born!


	8. Dueling Lessons

**Author's note: So I haven't gotten this chapter back from either of my betas yet, but since I'm going on vacation for a week, I decided to post this anyway. I didn't want you to have to wait another week or week and a half for an update. I'll edit this chapter at another point, but hopefully there aren't too many errors. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Dueling Lessons**

It was the last class of the day, and Sirius was far away from any academic thought. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he and his friends had successfully completed the Animagus transformation. Sirius was proud of his dog form and secretly relieved he hadn't turned into a dungbeetle or flobberworm. James's form had been magnificent; a stag large and proud. Peter was rat…which was not as nearly exciting as a dog or deer, but never the less, transforming into any animal was amazing, and a feat none of the other students at Hogwarts would ever accomplish.

Sirius was itching to transform again, just to be sure that he could. The excitement and glow from being able to turn into an animal at will was still with him. All day the boys had to merely glance at one another and they'd immediately erupt into wide grins and laughter; all thinking the same thoughts, reveling in their shared secret; their incredible achievement. _How in Merlin was he supposed to concentrate in class today?_

"Mr. Black, I expect better than this on your next assignment," Professor Flitwick lectured.

Sirius nodded begrudgingly to the Professor. He didn't appreciate being reminded he wasn't free yet by a poorly graded assignment. Professor Flitwick was passing back a homework essay from earlier in the week. Sirius had written the Charms essay last minute, and his grade (D for dreadful) clearly reflected that.

"I got an Acceptable," Peter boasted beside him. Sirius had quickly shoved his own essay into his school bag, while Peter proudly left his on display.

"Read chapter three in _Basic Spells: Year Five_ for Tuesday. There might be a surprise quiz on the material, so take detailed notes," Professor Flitwick instructed the class.

The bell struck to dismiss class right on cue, and Sirius shot up from his seat. Professor Flitwick frowned in his direction; he wasn't the only teacher to have noticed that Sirius had been more anxious and impatient than usual in all his classes. In his fifteen years of life, Sirius had learned that time always dragged on when you wanted it to tick by quickly, and today was no exception to the rule.

Sirius waited for his friends outside; they hadn't gathered their belongings quickly enough for him.

"In a hurry, Sirius?" James asked.

Sirius nodded. "No more classes until Monday," he answered. "I think I'd drown myself if I had to sit through another lecture."

"It will feel like we still are in class," Peter complained. "The Professors have really piled on the work."

"If you don't wait until Sunday night," – Remus looked pointedly at James and Sirius- "it won't seem so bad."

Rolling their eyes, James and Sirius led the group straight for Gryffindor Tower. Gryffindor team tryouts were scheduled to begin at three-thirty that afternoon, for one new Beater. The rest of the team would stay as it was. Aidan Gallagher, the team captain, had also opened the tryouts for Chasers and Seekers to try-out as alternates.

Yesterday, Sirius had agreed to help James warm-up for an hour before tryouts. Sirius enjoyed flying, and though there was no real reason for James to warm-up, his position on the team was secure, James was a fanatic. James would make a perfect team caption next year or the year after; it was a trait, from what Sirius had experienced, that was required for the position.

Sirius retrieved his Cleansweep from his trunk. He'd received the broom for his thirteenth birthday from his Uncle Alphard. His parents had only let him keep it because it was expected that all pure-bloods have their own broom, even if they weren't on the Quidditch team, and appearances were everything in the elite world his parents belonged to.

James changed into his Quidditch clothes and Sirius picked out an expensive light green robe that his parents had purchased for him. They'd meant for him to wear it to a fancy event, such as a Slug Club party; instead he'd be playing Quidditch in it, hopefully soaking it with sweat and dirt. Peter watched them forlornly; he didn't have a broom, and Sirius was thankful James didn't invite him to tag along. This way he'd have some one-on-one time with his best mate.

Broom slung over their shoulders in a carefree manner, James and Sirius bounded down to the common room. A second year boy with short-cropped blonde hair approached them, "Potter, I'm trying out for Beater," the boy informed James.

"I am too!" his friend with curly brown hair added.

"Good luck! I'll see you out there later," James said, running a hand through his hair. The boys' eyes widened with the compliment, adoration evident in their shiny faces. "Did you see how little they were? I doubt they would be able to hold the Beater bat, let along swing it," James muttered more to himself than Sirius, as they left the common room

Outside the wind had let up, the air felt warmer than usual for a fall afternoon. James unlocked the team lockers, and they lugged out one large Quidditch chest to the pitch. James had gotten the key earlier from Aidan. Sirius grabbed a Quaffle and, the boys mounted the brooms soaring into the air. James increased his speed quickly, shooting around the Quaffle hoops, in an impressive display of flying.

An hour later the rest of the Quidditch team showed up, with Aidan leading the way. James and Sirius landed at the same time on the ground.

"I was watching you Black. Not a bad throwing arm and your flying's excellent. Are you trying out today?" Aidan asked.

"Nah," Sirius replied.

"Why not?" Aidan looked slightly offended.

"You know me – I don't take well to authority. You'll either bench me or chuck me off the team in a week or two."

"Your brother is trying out for Seeker on the Slytherin team."

If Aidan hoped to tap into Sirius's inner brotherly competitive spirit, he would not be lucky today.

"Good for him. Have a good tryout," Sirius answered back. He was surprised to hear Regulus was trying-out since their mother considered Quidditch frivolous; though as the second son, his brother was allowed more leniencies.

Cleansweep once again slung over his shoulder, he sauntered over to the slowly filling stands. With Gryffindor the favorite to win the Quidditch Cup again this year, watching the tryouts was popular.

Peter was waving at him to get his attention. Sirius ignored Peter for another person had caught his eye.

"What's a snake doing among so many lions?"

Leila Yaxley stood at the end of the bleachers. "See what you've reduced me to for an audience," she remarked.

Leila's school robes were open displaying her blouse and skirt underneath. The robes may have hidden her curves, but the clothes underneath certainly did not. Sirius swallowed hard, the attraction he suddenly felt caught him off guard.

Sirius grabbed hold of Leila's wrist and forcefully pulled her around the back of the stands for privacy. He let her go and she rubbed her wrist indignantly.

"You've got five minutes," he grumbled leaning his broom on the back wall of the stands. They were standing close, and Sirius could smell her vanilla scented perfume, different from the floral sprays most teenage witches were wearing.

"Our parents are in negotiations again for our engagement," she began.

"You're telling me this why? To warn me?"

"Warn you?" She raised her perfect eyebrows and pursed her red lips. "You misunderstand me, Sirius. I _want_ to marry you."

His face darkened. "I don't. I can't understand why you're agreeing to this."

"Why wouldn't I? If it isn't you, it will be someone else. You're handsome, popular, and rich, and your family pedigree is immaculate. I knew we were destined to be wed before Hogwarts."

"What?"

"I suppose you wouldn't remember, but I first saw you when we were ten. It was at the Malfoys' New Years Eve party – ice sculptures were everywhere and I felt like a princess in my extravagant robes. My female cousins and I heard that the Black brothers were to be in attendance. We were anxious to finally meet you, since your mother and father didn't let you associate much with children who weren't direct blood relations. Of course, we'd heard so much about you – how handsome and bright you both were- the elder one especially. I was standing five feet away from you when you entered. You and Regulus were dressed in green and white – haughty and proud, just like you should be – just like someone of the 'Noble and Most Ancient House of Black'. I fell hard for you that night."

"Very nice anecdote, Leila. You had a crush on me. Big deal. I'll not marry you for some silly story."

"We can do this the easy or hard way, Sirius," she said meeting his darkened gaze, head on, despite a blush creeping on her face. "The easy way," she continued, "is for us to spend time together, get to know each another."

"Be good little obedient children. Always do what mummy and daddy say."

"I never had anything against Gryffindor as a House, but if this is how they teach you to act--"

"You mean actually have your own thoughts and ideas and not blindly follow our parents' desires and pureblood rhetoric."

"No, to be rude, disobedient, and disagreeable. Our parents are only looking out for our best interest."

"No, the family's best interest!"

"Which are one and the same, Sirius!"

"What about my happiness? What about yours? This is our life, our choice."

"The hard way then," she shot back.

"I'm choosing the right way – the only way I can live with myself. I'll fight this to the end and it will be easier if you were on my side."

"You're making a mistake."

"And your five minutes are up, Yaxley."

Sirius snatched his broom up and turned his back on Leila, returning to the Gryffindor tryouts, which had begun. Neither Leila nor Sirius noticed Mary McDonald hiding in the shadows.

* * *

"So what are we going to do today?" Peter asked, yawing widely.

It was Saturday morning, the day after the Gryffindor tryouts. Tristan Belden, a third year, had won the coveted Beater position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. There had been a huge turnout for tryouts. Though Tristan Belden showed the most potential, he needed a lot of work. James accepted that the third year was the best choice out of motley lot that had shown up. Sirius had noticed a lot of the girls were there to just flirt and when the time came to fly, clung onto their brooms as if they'd never flown before.

The boys had just returned from breakfast back to their dorm. James had sat once again with Victoria Dekker and her friends. The girls had barely looked in his direction all morning, which was a marked contrast from the other morning.

On the way back to the dorm, James admitted to Sirius that he had never told the girls any of those things, and that he had just asked them to look and laugh in Sirius's direction to make it appear as if they knew his darkest secrets. James, who was an open person by nature, could never keep things from Sirius for very long.

"I've no Quidditch," James told them flopping down on his bed. "Slytherin is having tryouts today, so the pitch is taken."

"Is Aidan going to spy on them?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I think he tried to recruit two third years, non – Quidditch players, to have a look. Any of us will be too obvious."

"You could use the cloak," Peter suggested.

"The team is strong this year, and try-outs won't tell us much information. We just have to wait and see who joins the other House teams." James turned to Sirius. "Do you think your brother will make the team?"

"I've never seen him fly," Sirius responded shortly.

"You haven't?" Remus asked in surprise.

"I was rarely awarded outdoor recreation, not like Regulus. He often had two afternoons off a week to romp outside, while I was locked inside training to be the perfect Black heir."

James, Remus, and Peter regarded Sirius pensively. Sirius was rarely forthcoming about his home life, and when it came out of the blue, it was always difficult to find a proper way to respond.

"What homework does everyone have left?" Remus asked.

"Everything," Sirius stated casually.

"Me too," James added proudly.

"Peter and I only have the Defence essay left," Remus informed them.

"When did you two get that done?" James said in surprise. It was after all only Saturday morning.

"Last night while you two were goofing off in the common room."

"It was Friday night," Sirius defended. "Plus we have all of Sunday to work on it."

"What about today? You aren't even going to start it?" Remus said.

"I think today would be an excellent day to finish up Operation Furry Little Problem," Sirius explained.

"I hear the Forbidden Forest calling our name," James said excitedly placing his hands behind his head.

Remus frowned.

"Come on, Remus, Peter and I still need to show you our forms," James pleaded.

"I heard it was supposed to rain today," Remus said.

Sirius unlatched one of the windows in the dorm, and stuck his head out to look at the clear blue sky. "Yea, it looks like it's about to pour any minute," Sirius responded sarcastically.

"Ok. We'll go. We can't get caught entering or leaving the Forest," Remus implored them, and he unconsciously touched his prefect badge.

* * *

Severus Snape was in his own world. He was in the wonderful daze brought on by having spent an entire Sunday afternoon with Lily Evans in the library studying.

Snape barely registered Mary McDonald rushing past, bumping into him as she clutched a letter to her chest. It was a letter from her sister who had graduated from Hogwarts two years prior. Mary's sister worked for a monthly teen and young adult magazine called _Twitches_.

Lily and Snape really _had_ studied in the library, Lily more than Severus. He'd been too conscious of her warm body beside him and of the countless times their elbows or hands brushed; sending pleasurable shocks through his body. When she spoke he was free to stare into those marvelous pools of emerald green.

Severus wasn't the only male to be entranced by Lily's presence; there were plenty of hormonally driven teenage boys hovering nearby. A girl like Lily was always noticed; she had that unexplainable, indescribable something about her. Despite other admirers, Severus had little to worry about. Lily had plainly ignored the hopeful smile by the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain and the wave from the sixth year Hufflepuff. Lily always gave him her full attention and he still held the title of her best friend, regardless of the fact they weren't as close anymore. He loved her differently than all the boys who she'd caught the eye of. He loved her for who she was. Of course, he did wish, when he allowed his mind to drift that way, to be more intimate with Lily. He couldn't think of anything more wonderful than to have her soft red lips graze his own.

"Severus!" The sharp voice snapped him unpleasantly out of his daydream.

"You are impossible to find," Leila Yaxley complained, catching up with him. She'd unbalanced him by using his first name. He was usually referred to by his surname or Snivellus by less desirable company.

"I was in the library."

"All afternoon? What could have possibly kept your interest in there?" she demanded.

The image of Lily surfaced to his mind and he suppressed a smirk.

"Did you want something?"

"I've thought over the deal."

Snape debated about the merit of feigning ignorance. He chose instead to nod his head, allowing Leila to interpret how she wanted.

"I didn't believe it would come to this – Sirius is being infuriatingly stubborn – and I don't see how waiting longer will help maters."

"Batting your eyelashes and swaying your hips, is having no effect on Black?" Snape asked unable to pass this opportunity without a comment. "My, my, have you lost your touch?"

She glared at him. Leila was beautiful in a more sophisticated way that Lily and Snape relished that a rich, snobby, popular girl needed him. He wouldn't let her know this, but she needn't beg for his assistance. He would gladly do anything to make Sirius Black's life a little more miserable.

"Will you help me or not?"

"There are conditions-"

"Like what?"

"Do you have the potion instructions?"

"I haven't picked one out yet. The way Slughorn goes on about you, I'd thought you could brew anything."

"I can," Snape snapped. "I'd like to know ahead of time the brewing length, and the ingredients, which you will supply and pay for."

"Of course."

"I'd also like an assurance of this protection I'm receiving in return. A demonstration, if you will."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I'll figure out what and a place and time. You just make sure there are Slytherins there to help me."

She gazed at him and for a moment Snape thought she was going to leave. "Fine. You can tell me the time and place after I've picked out the right potion. I'll contact you then."

"Pleasure doing business with you," he mocked as he watched her flounce away.

* * *

Remus dumped the banana and pile of toast he'd wrapped in white napkin on one of the round tables in the Gryffindor common room.

"You'll never finish in time," Remus admonished the sole occupant of the room.

"Have some faith in me, Remus," Sirius remarked, ceasing his intense scribbling to take a bite out of the toast.

"If you'd listened to me – Peter had all his homework done before lunch yesterday – then you'd be eating breakfast in the Great Hall with the rest of us."

"I'll listen to you one of these days," Sirius answered absentmindedly.

The weekend had really flown by fast, and thinking back, Sirius realized he hadn't really accomplished very much. Saturday morning had been spent in the Forbidden Forest where James and Peter had shown Remus their animal forms. They'd also practiced transforming and testing out their agility. Saturday afternoon they'd lazed around on the Hogwarts grounds chatting about nonsense. Then Saturday night, Sirius and James had engaged in a wizard chess tournament with a few Gryffindor boys from various years. James and Sirius had slept in Sunday morning, and had found Remus had persuaded Peter to spend the morning in the library finishing up the weekend homework. Sunday afternoon Sirius had joined James and Aidan to discuss Quidditch tactics. He'd pretended not to care when Aidan informed him Regulus was now the Slytherin Seeker. Sunday night was filled with more procrastination, and though Sirius had finished most of the work, he'd fallen asleep before completing the Defence Against the Dark Arts essay that was due first thing in the morning.

Crunching on the toast, Sirius read over what he'd written so far. He just needed a quick conclusion…

"Hurry up or we'll be late," Remus said as he paced the room.

"Peter and James meeting us in the classroom?"

"Yes, Peter wouldn't leave breakfast any earlier than he has to, you know him."

"You can leave if you want."

Remus stayed, alternating between pacing, looking at the window, and staring over Sirius's shoulder to see his progress. After a few more minutes, Remus couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Sirius-"

"Done!" Sirius replied triumphantly, rolling the scroll and stuffing it into his bag.

"We'll never make it to class on time," Remus moaned.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I know you are a prefect, but if we run-"

"Stop talking and just go."

So the two fifth years ran out of the common room and briskly through the empty halls. The boys skidded around the corner, wrenched open the classroom door open. Remus already had his essay out and he hastily added it to the pile, and only then did he take a moment to catch his breath. Sirius wasted a few precious seconds rummaging for his, as he grabbed the rolled sheet, and he let it fall from his hand, it glided through the air, as it touched Remus's assignment, the bell rang. Professor Keenan had been writing something on the blackboard with his wand looked back at them sharply. Sirius met the teacher's eyes challenging him to call his paper tardy

No one in their class had yet turned in an assignment late. Keenan's threat of punishment had so far worked to the teacher's advantage, and no one had been willing to challenge it yet.

"Lupin, Black, if you'd be so gracious to be seated so we can begin class?"

Sirius nodded, feeling as he'd won a small victory against Professor Keenan.

"We were bloody lucky," Remus murmured under his breath to Sirius as they took their usual seats; Sirius next to James, and Remus next to Peter a row behind.

Sirius may have disliked Professor Keenan, but the majority of the student population found him to be a fair and competent teacher. The girls were especially fond of him, and had taken to lining up by his office for extra help.

"Wands outs, class," Professor Keenan instructed with a small smile. Practical magic was always every ones favorite part of class. "We will be doing something different today. The Headmaster has given me permission to include in your lessons, as well as the lessons of the sixth and seventh years, dueling."

There was an agreeable murmur throughout the class.

"Leave your bags and books here. Bring only your wand! I've set up a room next door."

The students didn't need to be told twice. They clattered out of their seats and chattered merrily with their friends as Keenan lead them to the adjacent classroom. The room had been elongated, and a long rectangle box outlined in red was in the middle of the room. There was a large five point star on each end of the dueling area.

"Line up along the red line, please."

A Slytherin girl with a pointed nose raised her hand. "Professor, will this be on O.W.L.'s?"

"No, Miss Mandle. I feel and Professor Dumbledore has agreed, with the current situation outside Hogwarts' walls, it is imperative that all students be trained in defense, including wizard dueling. Over the next few months we will devote one class a week to dueling. If there is enough interest among fifth, sixth, and seventh years, I will start a Dueling Club."

The students nodded; eager for the lesson to begin. Even Sirius was impressed by the lesson change.

"In this class we will be focusing on a lot of the formalities associated with dueling. In the real world if you find yourself in a combat situation, these should all be pushed aside. First I will demonstrate to you the 'armed position'." Professor Keenan held his arm over his head in a striking position, his legs wide and slightly bent. "Now you try."

Professor Keenan went around the class adjusting arms and grips were needed. "It is important not to grip your wand too loosely or too tightly. As you practice you will find the best grip for yourself. Today we will go over a simple Disarming Charm. Mr. Pettigrew – do you know the incantation for the Disarming Charm?"

Peter looked startled to have been chosen. "Er – Expelliarmus?" Peter stammered, "Sir?"

"Correct. Now I want each of you – without saying the incantation – to bring your arm in one swift motion toward the middle of your body, like so." Keenan showed them the movement, and Sirius could tell the teacher was well-versed in dueling by his precise technique. The Professor was also light on his feet and in control. "Now you try."

Keenan strolled around watching them all attempt to copy what he'd just shown them.

"Mr. Tavers, that is too much of a jab. Be determined with your movements, but not so hard."

"Miss Volker, it must be one swift movement. You must also be less cautious; do not think so much, let the magic flow from within you."

"Very good class. I'd like everyone to pair up, and to face each other across the dueling square. There should be twelve students on one side, and twelve students on the other."

James immediately moved toward Sirius to partner. "Let's go near Snivellus," James whispered and Sirius nodded in agreement. With careful maneuvering, Sirius was beside Snape, and James was beside Snape's partner Zachary Wilkes.

"I'd like to remind you that we will be Disarming only. Now I would like those on the right side to attempt to disarm your partner. Those on the left side, your job is to simply stand there. Ready. Set. Go."

"Expelliarmus!"

Sirius watched with satisfaction as James's wand came sailing toward him. Only Lily and Leila besides Sirius had been successful on their side on the first try

"Class, watch Mr. Black, please. His spell was perfectly executed."

James retrieved his wand, so Sirius could repeat the spell with the class watching him.

"See his deliberate movement and control? Excellent Mr. Black, have five points for Gryffindor."

Sirius's classmates beamed around him. Professor Keenan had the students on the other side give it a whirl. Then he went pair by pair to watch more carefully each student, and to show them the errors they were making. Next, in the same pairs they were instructed to try disarming each other at the same time. It was to see if any of them could cast the spell under duress.

James and Sirius were well matched. Sirius did find it more challenging to cast the spell while his opponent was doing the same thing, but after ten minutes he grew restless. Both James and Sirius had mastered this spell at the end of their first year, so it wasn't anything new to them. If Sirius had been more observant he would have noticed that about half the class, even thirty minutes into the lesson, was still having difficulty. It proved too tempting for the duo, with two Slytherins right beside them, to not have a little bit of fun.

Sirius glanced over to Professor Keenan, who was at the other side of the room, helping Mary McDonald and Anita Knight with their arm movement. Mary looked quite love struck by the fact Keenan had his hand on her arm. James had followed his gaze and thinking all the same lines as Sirius, tilted his head slightly toward Snape and Wilkes.

James cocked his wand, and Sirius pretended to get into the defending position. Silently James sent a spell soaring toward Snivellus, and Snape promptly began doing a jig uncontrollably. It didn't take long for this to catch the eye of their classmates, and as more and more students stopped practicing to look over the Professor was alerted.

"I said Disarming _only_!" Keenan said striding over.

"I don't know what happened!" Wilkes said looking at his wand flabbergasted.

"It was Potter," someone muttered. Sirius turned toward the voice, but he couldn't figure out who in the class had snitched.

The damage was done anyway. The words were enough for Professor Keenan to turn to James, who like Sirius had been grinning at Snape's predicament. James quickly sobered under Keenan's stare.

"It was an accident," James explained briskly. "I was aiming for Sirius-"

Before replying, Professor Keenan undid the Jig Jinx. Snape was now bent over trying to catch his breath. His skin had turned a deep red from the exertion of the unplanned exercise.

"If it was an accident, Mr. Potter than Mr. Snape would simply be Disarmed and not dancing around like a buffoon!"

"James was aiming at me, sir. And I told him he could use another spell on me," Sirius interrupted quickly to collaborate his friend's story.

"Last time I checked you are not the teacher, are you Mr. Black? I explicably said to only use the Disarming Spell. My instructions were not a suggestion; I expect them to be followed."

Sirius looked down, but did not answer.

James, however, was not ready to give up on talking his way out of trouble. "It was an accident! I only used the other spell because I was bored. I've known how to cast a proper _Expelliarmus_ for years now."

"I'll make sure to take _your_ entertainment into account next time I plan a lesson then, Mr. Potter." Professor Keenan stopped and looked around now addressing the whole class. "I had my reasons for choosing a simple spell today. Many wizards and witches have overlooked the merits of the Disarming Spell to their detriment. It certainly may not be as flashy as some other magic, but it is one of the most important spells in your arsenal. Disarm your opponent and you've effectively neutralized them. As amusing as it may be to see your foe dancing, it will certainly not win you the duel." Professor Keenan looked hard at James as he said the last sentence.

"It could win it for you. The forced dancing could distract your opponent, making it even easier for you to Disarm them," James shot back.

"Five points off Gryffindor for failing to follow directions. Another five points for speaking out of turn and for not addressing your teacher properly, and I will see you after class, Mr. Potter."

"Yes, sir," James muttered. Any Gryffindor that may have been on James's side was now looking angrily at him for causing the House to be down five points. Sirius felt James had made a good point, but teachers never did take to being told they were wrong. Snape's pallor was almost back to normal and he looked pleased by the teacher's reprimand.

"I shall split you and Mr. Black up for the rest of class as well. If you continue to act like children, I shall treat you like children. Ms. Evans, switch places with Mr. Potter."

Lily had been partnered with Anita Knight, who would now work with James. As if to pound into their heads the importances of the Disarming Spell, they spent the rest of class doing it over and over again. At the end they each had a go against Professor Keenan, and James was the only one to cause the teacher's wand to clatter to the ground. Not far enough from Keenan that he couldn't dive to retrieve his wand had it been a real duel, but it was a success nothing less.

"Good, Mr. Potter. You just need a little more strength behind the magic and my wand would have sailed straight to you. Five points to Gryffindor," Keenan stated looking very perplexed that he was rewarding the same boy he had reprehended for foolhardiness less than twenty minutes ago.

The students then returned back to their usual classroom to collect their bags, and Professor Keenan wrote the homework due next lesson on the board. As the class was dismissed, Sirius hung back with James.

"I wish I'd had a chance to jinx Wilkes too before Keenan noticed," Sirius told James quietly.

James was waiting for Mary McDonald to leave. She had grabbed Keenan's attention once more and she was asking if he'd been in any dueling clubs when he was in school. Sirius listened with interest as he told her that he indeed had and had won twice in his fifth and seventh year. Sirius followed Mary out of the classroom glancing back at James once more.

* * *

James approached Professor Keenan's desk. He wasn't nervous about the lecture he was sure to receive. He couldn't count the number of times he'd been in a similar situation as this. Some teachers tried being loud and harsh with their words to get their point across, while others attempted to sound as they were merely giving out friendly advice about proper behavior. However, this was his first time in front of Professor Keenan alone and he had a feeling Keenan would be very similar to McGonagall. Professor McGonagall was very direct in relaying her disappointment in her students' actions. She was one of the few teachers who on occasion had made James feel guilty.

Professor Keenan had taken a seat, which was an interesting choice, especially when he didn't offer James one. The Professor ran a hand through his dark hair, in a very similar gesture to the one James habitually did, and clasped his hands neatly upon the desk.

James noticed one of the picture frames on Keenan's desk was turned towards him. In the picture were two boys in their late teens. The older one looked like a younger Keenan, while the one with blonde hair, James guessed was his younger brother. The picture had been taken with a Muggle camera.

"Mr. Potter, you will serve detention with me tomorrow night," Professor Keenan began.

James frowned having only expected a lecture, and not detention in addition to the ten points deducted.

"I will not tolerate hexing other students in my classroom." James went to open his mouth. "And I do not believe that your spell was meant for Mr. Black. Your aim is far too good to make a mistake like that. You do not have to like your classmates, but you will respect them."

"But sir, it was amusing-"

"To who? Mr. Snape who was humiliated? To all the other students who were disrupted in their practice because of your childish antics?" James stayed silent, though not quite an apology; it was perhaps the most Professor Keenan was going to receive that morning out of the rebellious youth. "You were also disrespectful towards me and this will be the last time I remind you to address me with 'sir' or 'Professor'. I will refrain this time for assigning you a second detention for that infraction. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"I understand that today's lesson might have been frustratingly slow for you. Instead of jinxing one of your classmates, a more beneficial use of your time would have been aiding those classmates who were struggling."

"Yes, sir. What time will the detention be?"

"Seven-thirty sharp."

"Seven-thirty, sir?" James repeated.

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Could it possibly begin at eight instead, sir?"

Professor Keenan looked at James as if flame had just spouted out of his mouth. "For what reason?" Keanan asked through clenched teeth.

"I've Quidditch practice from seven to eight-thirty that night, sir," James said, throwing his teacher a charming smile.

"No. I have half a mind to change the time to seven! Perhaps missing something you really want to be at will inspire you to behave?"

"Maybe, sir," James murmured.

"Seven-thirty. If you are late, you'll have detention for the next week. You may go."

"Right, sir."

James grasped the door open firmly. Aidan would throw a fit once he heard James would be missing more than half of practice tomorrow.

"What did he say?" Sirius asked immediately.

"He went on and on about respecting all my classmates, including Snivellus."

Sirius nodded grimly in understanding.

"I've got detention too."

"Well you're used to detentions," Peter said. "That's not so bad."

"That's not the worst part! I'm going to miss part of Quidditch practice because of it and he threatened to change the time so I'd miss all of it, when I asked if I could serve it earlier," James complained.

"That's really unfair," Peter agreed.

"I think Professor Keenan has been very fair," Remus said quietly from the wall he'd been leaning on.

"Oh, you would," Sirius said.

Ignoring Sirius, Remus said, "Come on, James. You can't expect a teacher to allow you to hex another student in the classroom without repercussions."

James made a derisive noise.

"And then you had the nerve to ask him to change your detention time for Quidditch. If it had been Professor McGonagall she'd have changed the time, so that you would have missed all of practice."

"She wants Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup as much as we do," James insisted. It was true, but McGonagall had never given Quidditch players from her house any leniency on rule breaking.

"He also awarded you five points when you were the only one to Disarm him. Some teachers might have been angry enough with you to not give you anything," Remus finished.

"I still don't like him," James said sullenly.

"You don't have to, but you can't say Professor Keenan isn't fair," Remus persisted.

"Maybe I can persuade Aidan to start practice a half an hour earlier," James said brightening slightly as the boys wandered off to their next class.

* * *

**Author's note: Thanks for reading! I really would love to hear what you think, so please take a moment to review. **


	9. Levicorpus

**Author's note: This chapter has not been looked over yet by my beta, but I decided to post it anyway. **

**Chapter Nine: **_**Levicorpus**_

James was in a foul mood the next morning. Aidan had not been amused by James's suggestion of starting practice a half-an-hour early.

"Don't bother coming to practice, Potter. If you can't stay for the entire time, don't bother coming! Honestly, can't you ever stay out of trouble? And if you miss practice again for detention, I'll have you benched for the first game. Understand?" Aidan had retorted.

James, his head bowed in embarrassment, only nodded; Aidan's words had carried clearly around the Gryffindor common room for everyone to hear.

Sirius wouldn't ever side against his best friend, but he could see Aidan's point. By the time the team warmed up James would have to head back to the castle anyway. Sirius, Peter, and even Remus who had already expressed he found the detention 'fair' had been trying to cheer up James all morning.

The arrival of the post did improve James's demeanor; his mother had sent a large package of sweets. Peter had received a letter from his mother; while Sirius and Remus looked at each other, both left without mail. While James was rummaging through his sweets, Sirius picked up James's copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

The front article immediately alarmed Sirius; _Wife of Deceased Daily Prophet Columnist Speaks Out._

Having ignored the news of the outside world for the weekend, Sirius hadn't been aware there had been another death. A columnist from the _Daily Prophet_ was a big deal and Sirius was surprised there hadn't been more gossip about it among the student body.

He began reading the article:

_Friday night, Mrs. Lynn Boleyn arrived home from visiting her sister to discover a grisly scene. Her husband sprawled dead on the floor – signs of torture evident- and the Dark Mark, quickly becoming associated with Death Eater activities (Picture on Page Two) above her two story house. In a red substance- only further testing will determine if it is blood or red paint- Thomas Boleyn had scrawled, "Lynn, you were right."_

_Mrs. Boleyn did not immediately put any importance in the dying message. Distraught over the death of her husband and worry for the safety of her unborn child, Mrs. Boleyn had more pressing matters on her mind. Days later she realized the message was not a warning for her eyes only, but for the Magical Community at large._

_Before his death, Mr. Boleyn had written many critical articles against the so-called Death Eaters; even going as far as calling their movement 'backwards'. Though not common knowledge, Mr. Boleyn had been working on a new article about Lord Voldemort, known leader of the Death Eaters. Mr. Boleyn felt it should not escape any ones notice that Lord Voldemort had gone through a lot of trouble to hide his real name and true identity. He also had urged all wizards and witches to inquire about Lord Voldemort's identity and find out more about his background. Learning more about who this man was, Mr. Boleyn felt, would be the greatest aide in bringing him out of power. In the unpublished article, which Mrs. Boleyn has kindly allowed us to read, Mr. Boleyn even went as far as to mock the man for self-proclaiming himself a Lord._

_Both Mr. Boleyn's wife and sister believe he was murdered because of the unpublished article. Aurors investigating the murder would not comment about any leads. _

_Mr. Boleyn's sister was quoted saying, "My brother's death came out because of his blatant disrespect to that man and his followers." _

_Mrs. Boleyn had previously spoken to her husband about the danger of mocking such a powerful man. She felt that despite disagreeing with Lord Voldemort, proper respect should be shown. Mr. Boleyn had planned to publish the article by the end of this week. _

_Mrs. Boleyn spoke to us candidly about her belief that there is a curse linked to Lord Voldemort's name. "Very bad luck seems to follow those that dare defy You-Know-Who," Mrs. Boleyn said, blue eyes tearing. Throughout the entire interview Mrs. Boleyn only once referred to Lord Voldemort by his real name. After that she referred to him as 'He-who-must-not-be-named' and 'You-Know-Who'. Mrs. Boleyn informed us she was too frightened to speak his real name._

_The Daily Prophet Staff after careful deliberation has agreed with Mrs. Boleyn's views on the matter. For the safety of the staff, after this point on we will no longer print Lord Voldemort's name. Also in order to protect the rest of our journalists and their families, Mr. Boleyn's article will not be published. We urge all our readers to be cautious._

"Read this James," Sirius said pushing it across the table. Remus, sitting next to James, leaned over to read the article as well.

After a few moments; "Complete load of nonsense," James said throwing the paper to Peter.

"Another death," Remus said softly. "There's been so many lately."

"They just kill off the people who speak the truth like Thomas Boleyn. My father was a big fan of his. The only reporter brave enough to say what these Death Eaters and their cause is really about," James replied.

"And look where it got him," Peter said grimly.

"What?" James asked sharply.

"He's dead. Isn't he?" Peter stammered; his voice an octave bit too high. Peter very rarely voiced an opinion that differed from any of them. "He left his wife a widow and unborn child fatherless, and for what?"

"He stood up for something he believed in!" Sirius stated loudly. Sirius was thinking of his own rebellion against his family. Some might say it was useless and not worth the fight, but to Sirius it was about defending his convictions.

The article portrayed what so many wizards and witches feared. The lines between the two sides, those who sided with Voldemort's pure-blood elitists and those who were for magical equality, were becoming more defined. If things continued on this path, a full out war would be inevitable.

Sirius continued, "The Death Eaters have already won if there is no one willing to stand against him."

Peter mumbled something Sirius couldn't quite make out. It sounded along the lines of 'not everyone hates their family and doesn't care if they are killed'.

"Let's talk of something more cheerful," Remus said giving Sirius a meaningful look to stay quiet. Of course Peter wouldn't have the courage to speak those words clearly and to his face. Most importantly, Peter was wrong to classify Sirius's relationship with his family as just hate; to describe it as that was oversimplifying it and made Sirius out to be just a spoilt child who disagreed with his family about something silly, like the length of his hair. Sure, Sirius had proclaimed out loud that he hated his family and he even thought it often, but it was not so easy to ignore your blood. He hated them as you might hate a mole on your hand; only complete removal would free you.

"Cheerful like Double Potions?" Sirius asked sarcastically, playing along. He wouldn't get into an argument with Peter of his feelings toward his family. Sirius would rather not speak of it at all.

"We could make it interesting," James said.

"Like a prank?" Sirius asked.

"You'll get caught if you don't properly plan it," Remus warned.

"Then we'll plan it," Sirius said. "Time for the school to meet the Marauders."

As excited as they had been to plan a prank, they didn't get anywhere with the plans that morning, but more importantly it had broken the tension. Sirius noticed lots of students were speaking about the article in hushed tones. There was a mixed reaction, as expected some students agreed with the _Daily Prophet_ about their 'better-safe-than-sorry' attitude in regards to speaking Voldemort's name, while others viewed it as pure rubbish.

In Potions that day Professor Slughorn started them on a Warming Potion. Professor Slughorn began the class period with a long lecture about the two-day process needed to brew a Warming Potion. He went over each step verbally and pointed out the more uncommon reactions that occurred during the brewing process. Slughorn told them cheerfully that they'd be tested on the theory behind it next week. After Slughorn spoke, he had them carefully copy down the directions from the board; the potion was not listed in their textbook.

Partners had not changed yet, so Sirius was still stuck with Mary and James with Leila. Leila had clearly given up on charming James, and even from a few rows back Sirius could tell she was treating James condescendingly. Leila would view James as a blood-traitor, and with no hope of James convincing Sirius to court her, she had no reason to treat him politely. On the contrary, by treating James rudely she could actually annoy Sirius at the same time.

Mary, on the other hand, was very friendly. She made no mention of Leila nor did she appear to be trying to siphon gossip off him. She was pleasant and acting normal, like she had the previous years around him. Somehow none of this comforted Sirius, but besides a gut instinct, he had no reason to mistrust her.

Since this was the first day of the two-day process, most of class was spent grinding up leaves of different Magical plants with names so long and complicated Sirius was sure whoever had named them had done it to torture future students. The juice they had to collect from the leaves was only an ounce, but it required the mashing of an entire plant. At the end of class everyone's hands were cramped and hurting from the pounding and grinding. A few students who hadn't properly protected their hands had patches of bright yellows, oranges and reds on their skin.

At the end of class Leila disappeared, leaving James to clean up. Professor Slughorn who almost always noticed when Sirius or James were up to mischief, missed the fact Leila had not done her share of cleaning. Sirius knew immediately why; Slughorn was too busy fawning over his favorite students.

Feeling guilty that Leila's treatment of James was partly because of him, Sirius after tending to his own mess, joined James to give him a hand. As James and Sirius finished up, Professor Slughorn unfortunately toddled over to James's work area. He'd been speaking to Lily Evans and Snape; most likely heaping the usual praise on Evans. He'd bet a few galleons, that Slughorn had commented on Evans's plant juice being particularly juicy or something along those lines.

"I'm delighted you both are still here," Slughorn said jovially. "I'm having a small group of students over on Sunday for a start of the term festivity, and I was hoping to see you both there."

Sirius was desperately thinking of any excuse to get out of the invite. Perhaps he could still manage to get a Sunday detention. Keenan was easily disgruntled by him; it wouldn't be difficult. While Sirius was racking his brain for an excuse, James had looked over to where Lily Evans was tidying up her belongings, while her friends waited around her. Snape had by then left the classroom.

"We'd love to come, Professor," James said. Sirius, shocked by his friend's affirmation to the request, opened his mouth to say something- anything to get James to see sense-when James stepped hard on his toes.

All Sirius could do was pretend his grimace of pain was actually a smile, as Slughorn clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Mr. Black, your brother has already accepted my invitation."

"I'm overjoyed," Sirius replied, gritting his teeth from the pain emanating from his sore foot. The professor beamed at them. Slughorn was always trying to entice them to attend, and neither of them had been to a party of his since second year.

Sirius turned to James waiting for a long and elaborate explanation about why he'd agreed they'd go to an event that would be insufferably boring.

"Not here," James said, not looking Sirius in the eyes, as he wiped the bench with a damp sponge.

Without so much as a hello to Peter or Remus, who as usual had been waiting outside for them, Sirius rounded on James. "Why'd you say yes? Those parties are horrible and boring and you've never wanted to go before."

James looking increasingly uncomfortable turned slightly red as he said, "I thought it would be a good place to chat up some girls."

"Chat up girls?" Sirius asked bewildered. "Rich and snobby girls like Leila, you mean?"

"Those aren't the only girls invited," James answered.

Sirius stared at James for a moment, very surprised that this was the direction the conversation was going. "So there's a specific girl then? Out with it then, who is she?"

James mumbled a name.

"Didn't quite catch that, mate?"

"Lily Evans," James said more clearly, but his voice was still barely above a whisper.

"Evans? Friends with Snivellus Evans? You fancy her?" Sirius voiced.

James didn't need to answer; his face said it all. "So what if I do?" James defended. "Even you must have noticed how pretty she got over the summer?"

Sirius regarded James pensively for a few moments. Lily Evans with her vibrant red hair and green eyes was certainly a girl you did not forget. And she had 'grown-up' over the summer, though she was not the sort of girl that interested Sirius "I suppose so," Sirius admitted.

"She's not seeing anyone, is she Remus?" James asked.

It was Remus's turn to look uncomfortable. "How should I know?"

"Now that you're prefects together, aren't you friends?"

"I don't know. Our company is more forced upon each other than anything."

"Are you going to ask her out?" Peter said."

"We'll see how the Slug Party goes," James replied, straightening up, the confidence he'd lost slightly from confessing a girl had caught his eye, restored.

* * *

Sirius flopped himself onto his bed in the boys dorm. It was strange for Sirius to find himself alone. Between sharing a room with five people (three of them his closest friends) and spending lots of times in the socially active common room, there was always someone about. Though, tonight James was serving his detention with Professor Keenan. Terry Keeler was also in detention with McGonagall and Derek Newbell was spending the evening with his girlfriend, Jamie Morgan. Remus was busy escorting Peter to the Hospital Wing and then stopping in the library.

Sirius had his own plans for the night. Taking out a fresh parchment, quill, and the two- way mirror on the off-chance Professor Keenan left James unsupervised during detention, Sirius settled himself to pen a letter to his cousin Andromeda. Technically if one were to go by the official Black Family tree, Andromeda was no longer a part of the family. She'd been blasted off the tree after marrying Muggleborn Ted Tonks. Though Andromeda was several years older than Sirius and they'd never (mainly because of the age gap) had been exceptionally close, he still considered her his favorite cousin. His respect for her had jumped tenfold when he had learned that she had gotten away from the clutches of the oppressive Black family and was living happily without their well wishes or support. The family had been very shaken by Andromeda's abrupt desertion of the family. Andromeda had shown no signs of rebellion (unlike Sirius). She'd been sorted into Slytherin - even excelled in Slytherin. She'd always been agreeable and obedient, and never showed a particular affection for Muggles. Yet Andromeda had fallen in love with a boy the family would never approve of and that was that.

Sirius's contact with Andromeda was now limited to the letters owled back and forth during the school year. He knew his parents suspected he had contact with her, but they could do little to stop it. Now three weeks into the school year, she hadn't written him yet. Sirius was surprised by his disappointment in her lack of contact. He'd always prided himself in not needing _any_ family. He was even more surprised in himself for he planned to ask Andromeda for advice in the letter. Sirius didn't often to go others for help with his problems, preferring to deal with it on his own like most teenagers. And Andromeda was technically an adult (with her own child), which made her even less likely the person he'd turn to.

It really came down to the fact that he was feeling more acutely than ever the pressure of family obligation and she was the only person in Sirius's mind who could relate. When it came to his friends' parents, Sirius would have gladly adopted any set. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were loving and kind, and next to perhaps murder, James could do no wrong in their eyes. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were very careful with Remus when it came to their expectations. Believing it was a miracle Remus had achieved more of a normal life at Hogwarts than they had ever hoped for, they didn't put any pressure on him in the academics or socially. However, Remus put pressure on himself in the studies department. Mrs. Pettigrew (Mr. Pettigrew having 'run-off' was no longer in the picture) was a very doting mother, though more with foods, cloths, and comfort than Peter's schoolwork.

On the other hand, Sirius's parents expected perfection in all facets of his life. So even when Sirius achieved perfect makes, he was just saved from being lectured. It took going above and beyond perfection to receive any sort of compliment.

Immersed in his letter, Sirius did not hear Remus enter, and jumped a foot when Remus took a seat on his bed.

"Merlin!"

"Sorry. Who are you writing?"

"Andromeda."

"Ah, the one sane member of your family."

Sirius smiled half-heartedly. "How's Peter?"

"Very peaky. The nurse is keeping him there overnight. She thinks it might be the flu and doesn't want to take the chance of it spreading to all of Gryffindor house."

"You're back early. Weren't you going to stop in the library?" Sirius asked.

"I did stop in and I found what I was looking for quickly. Want to see the neat spell I discovered?"

Sirius sat up eagerly. Remus took the feathered quill Sirius had been writing with. Holding it out in front, Remus waved his wand in three large swirls and murmured a strange word. Sirius eyed the quill skeptically for it hadn't changed in shape or color.

"Now touch it," Remus urged.

Sirius shrugged, but did as instructed. Suddenly he was surrounded by ten identical quills. Remus went to touch one of the ten (Sirius couldn't tell if it was the original one) and now twenty more appeared.

"Wicked," Sirius said grabbing a hold of another one to find an additional forty quills covering the bed.

"And it will keep doubling until you say the counter-curse," Remus explained and swished his wand so that all but the original feather was left. "There's a lot of tweaking you can do with the spell. You can change the amount it will double or how long the effect will last. You can set it so that a code word sets it off instead of a touch – though that magic is a bit complicated."

"Does it only work on feathers?"

"No- practically anything."

Sirius looked at Remus an idea for a prank half-formed in his head already. And in the way Remus looked back, Sirius had the feeling Remus had intended the use of the spell for that very reason. It was on the tip of his tongue to make a crack about Remus going against his prefect obligation, but eager to be allowed to use the spell, he held it on.

"We'll put it to good use then?" Sirius asked slyly.

"Responsibly," Remus cut in.

Sirius rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the letter. He glanced at the empty mirror, wishing James would show so prank discussion could begin properly. Though with Peter in the Hospital Wing, knowing James, he'd make them wait until Peter returned.

Terry returned from his detention and the three of them talked a few moments about mundane things. Terry excused himself to shower and Remus went to sit on his own bed and opened up one of his books on magical creatures; a book that probably did not have a very accurate description about werewolves. Remus had once explained to them that he felt it necessary to educate himself about all the misconceptions floating around about werewolves and use that knowledge to combat it.

Terry after his shower went downstairs to the common room which suited Sirius. There was only so much small talk they could do with their two additional roommates before the conversation turned awkward. As Sirius was signing off his letter, the door opened once more and James tromped in. Remus placed his book down and Sirius folded his letter quickly, slipping it into his satchel on the floor.

"How was it?" Sirius asked attentively.

"Horrible," James answered falling back on his bed. "He obviously enjoys torturing his students."

"Torturing?" Remus questioned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't mean physical torture, obviously. Mental torture."

"Did he have you do lines?" Sirius pondered.

"No. Keenan told me the Headmaster wants to start cleaning up a lot of the unused classrooms and has asked all teachers to use detention as an excuse to enslave the student body for that task," James informed them. "I don't know why Professor Dumbledore doesn't just use house-elves to accomplish it. Anyway, Keenan, of course, picks a classroom with extra large and long windows, with a perfect – _perfect_ – view of the Quidditch pitch. He has me wash all the windows, so even if I wanted to ignore the pitch, the work is forcing me to stare straight at it."

Remus, smiling slightly at James's dramatics, said, "You think Professor Keenan picked the room purposely?"

"Yes," James said sitting up. "Out of all the rooms-"

"Or it's just bad luck on your part," Sirius interjected and he shared a grin with Remus.

"Oh, shut it. It wasn't bad luck or a coincidence," James reaffirmed and he glanced around the room. "Where's Peter?"

Sirius and Remus explained to James briefly how Peter had fallen ill and that the nurse was keeping him there overnight.

Before James could begin complaining again, Remus remarked, "Does Peter seem a little down to you?" His tone had a forced casualness, so Sirius suspected Remus had been waiting for the right moment to bring it up.

"Why do you think that?" James asked in puzzlement.

"I think he may be a little self-conscious about his animal form," Remus said.

"Because he's a rat?" Sirius said.

Now picking his words very carefully, Remus explained, "He said something to me – I guess he heard you two joking a little about it – an unfavorable comment about rats – you know how your approval means a lot to him."

"Honestly I don't remember what we said," James said thoughtfully. "Do you Sirius?"

"It's possible. Who really likes rates? Just take a look at his tail. It looks just like a worm!"

"There you go then," Remus said looking at them as if they were very dimwitted.

"You mean something like that?" James asked.

"Yes. Peter is very sensitive."

"What do you want us to do?" James asked.

"Throw a rat appreciation party in the common room?" Sirius proposed jokingly.

"That could be fun," James agreed.

Remus sighed with a shake of his head. "Just be more aware."

"He's got to learn to be less sensitive," James muttered.

"The real word will eat him alive," Sirius predicted.

"We're his friends. Anyway, I've been thinking of how his small form may be very useful."

Sirius and James looked at Remus in interest waiting for him to elaborate.

"I've noticed smaller animals can easily scurry past the branches of the Whomping Willow without a problem – and even though using a stick to prod the knot works, there's always a danger of one of us getting hurt. Peter in his rat form could freeze the tree for us. Not only will it be safer, but also less noticeable."

"Fair idea," James conceded.

Sirius nodded, thinking it unnecessary of Remus to think of a way to make Peter feel better, but Sirius wouldn't miss having to risk bodily harm just to get into the tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack.

"We'll tell him tomorrow then," Remus stated and the three boys continued talking until it was time to prepare for bed.

* * *

Leila wasted no time in finding the Love Potion she wanted Severus to concoct. In the middle of the week she had demanded his presence through a note delivered by a trembling first year. They'd met in the classroom they had used for the first dueling lesson. A little too close to Professor Keenan's office in Severus's opinion, but who was he to argue. Leila was the one calling the shots and they had been able to finish business without being caught. She had shown him a thin book with only seven potions inside. The book had a new appearance, but by the wording and font type Snape could tell it had been written long ago.

Now Severus had limited knowledge about Love Potions, but from what he did know, the one Leila had picked was based on magical properties that he was not familiar with. Leila had informed him that unlike a lot of the more popular Love Potions this one would mimic the real effects of falling in love, whilst the others created merely infatuation. Generally the infatuation was so sudden and intense that those close to the person would figure out a Love Potion was the cause of the strange behavior. Leila was probably right to worry with Black always around Potter and the other two never far behind; one of them would be bound to notice such a change.

The potion was difficult, Severus could tell just by the first glance, but not impossible. The ingredients did befuddle him, they were rare and he was slightly worried about mixing some of them together. If Severus wasn't mistaken, and he wasn't mistaken often when it came to potions, some of the ingredients were highly regulated, and even illegal. Leila told him she had already procured all the ingredients and he was not to worry about anything 'blowing up' as long as he followed the instructions.

After Leila was assured that Severus could brew her Love Potion, she immediately went into gear to fulfill her side of the bargain. Leila had no trouble finding Slytherins willing to back him up for an ambush; there was Travers, Mulciber, and Rosier from his year; Wilkes, Henley, and Jenson from sixth year; and Bennet, Lestrange, and Collie from seventh year.

Snape had chosen a Friday afternoon for the attack. After years of keeping an eye on Potter and Black, he knew on a Friday afternoon, as long as the weather wasn't too frigid or rainy, the boys would go for a jaunt outside. To his amazement, because plans rarely worked in his favor, that afternoon turned out to be the perfect setup. The weather was not sunny or warm enough to attract loads of students outside, which would have increased the likelihood of the ambush being witnessed, but dry enough to entice the particular quartet that Severus had picked as his target.

The other nine Slytherins had gone on ahead to hide among the trees and rocks in the area that Severus knew the four boys generally hung out in. Humans were creatures of habit and to Snape's relief Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew headed straight to the same spot they always went to.

Severus crept behind them, having cast a Silencing Charm on himself. Pettigrew was matching the stride of Potter with Lupin slightly behind them, and Black brought up the rear, looking pensive. Since Black was trailing behind the group, Snape decided that he would be his focal target. It did not escape Severus's notice that Pettigrew was gesturing excitedly toward the Whomping Willow. Though their voices were too low to hear, Severus could not help wondering why they were interested in such a dangerous magical plant, and he stored away the information for later.

Snape took deep breath before shouting, "How does it feel to be bested by your little brother, Black?"

The words had an instantaneous effect. Black whipped around and the other three stopped in their tracks, turning toward Snape too. It wasn't hard to rile Black; sometimes it was actually so easy that it was disappointing.

"You'll be the first to know when it happens," Sirius replied, annoyed, though not on guard. After all, Black had no way of knowing how outnumbered he would soon be. He only saw the one Slytherin in front of him – a Slytherin without his wand out- and knowing he had three friends watching his back, there would be little cause for worry.

"Hasn't he? I don't see you on the Quidditch team and he is. I told Reggie how proud his big brother must be." Snape didn't know what possessed him to shorten Regulus's name; Reggie sounded like some ridiculous nickname that some teenage girl might find endearing.

Sirius clenched his hands and spat out, "I'm not the one who tried out for the team in second year and didn't make it, Snivellus."

Severus felt his own temper begin to flair. He wasn't sure what irked him more; the loathsome nickname or the reminder of the humiliating experience of believing he possessed enough athleticism to be a Quidditch player. His twelve-year old self had hoped being a Quidditch star would impress Lily. Quidditch players in Hogwarts were held above the rest of the student body and Snape had always craved such status – but it had been a ludicrous idea on his part to hope to achieve it through sports.

"And why is that? Afraid of failure? Or maybe of flying?" questioned Severus.

Severus could see Lupin furrowing his brow. It must have looked to the prefect that Snape was foolishly fishing for a fight that he'd surely lose.

Little did Lupin know-

"Now!" Snape yelled. Bursts of light descended upon the Gryffindors from all directions. Lupin was hit first and he fell down clutching at his neck like he was choking. Pettigrew was next and he staggered down cradling his arm. Black was hit by a series of Slashing Hexes, mostly from Severus and Lestrange, who was hidden closest to where Sirius stood. Black's left area of his robe- from the top of his shoulder to below his knee – had been ripped by the hexes and red gashes showed where the magic had lacerated his skin. Potter had ducked and as he stood up, Severus could see he had emerged from the first onslaught miraculously unharmed.

In a proper duel both Black and Potter would have probably beat Snape. Though Severus had a broader knowledge of spells than either boy, especially those considered dark, his natural instinct, stamina, and reflexes were not up to par. In this situation, he would easily have the upper hand.

Black then made the mistake of turning slightly back to check on his friends. The gesture might have been noble on paper, but in the end foolish for in four long strides Severus had his wand jabbed into Black's back.

"Turn around, Black," Snape spat. As Sirius turned around slowly, Severus could see he had taken his wand out, but it was as useless as any piece of wood found on the forest floor. Snape moved his wand up deftly so that it now rested lightly at Black's throat. Severus smirked as Black's breathing quickened. He knew from various readings that the throat was a very sensitive part of the body and even a light pressure could make the victim feel breathless.

Snape felt in his element; he craved power such as this; to have his enemies cowering before him. Though Black was far from cowering, he certainly looked apprehensive and that was enough for now. Severus looked up as the other nine Slytherins emerged from their hiding spots circling Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew. Lupin was now standing, though Pettigrew stayed fixed to the ground. Lupin and Potter quickly adopted defense stances.

Rabastan Lestrange, a large and brutish boy, strode up behind Black. Without pretense, Lestrange twisted Black's left arm (which was bleeding from the Slashing Hexes) painfully behind; hard enough to cause Black to cry out softly and drop his wand. Potter and Lupin moved forward instinctively, but there was not much they could do for the moment.

"Drop your wands," Lestrange bellowed at Potter and Black, as his wand caressed Black's cheek, "and I won't do any permanent damage to pretty boy-"

No one expected Lupin to send the next spell flying and it headed near enough to Lestrange to startle him enough to loosen his hold on Black. As if the Gryffindors had somehow communicated silently, Black instantly ducked out of Lestrange's grip and turned, punching Lestrange straight in the face. The two began to tussle – Muggle style. Severus watched it interestedly as the two rolled around in the grass trying to injure the other; on one hand Lestrange had strength and brute; while Black had agility and instinct.

That's when chaos erupted. Spells began flying everywhere – though only about twenty percent of them hit their mark. Above the din, his eyes still focused on Black and Lestrange, he heard Travers as he loudly cried, "_Levicorpus_!"

It hit Pettigrew and the small boy was strung up by his ankles, his arms and legs flailing about. Snape smirked; it was great thing to see a spell you invented put into such good use. Potter, his robes singed and his hair messier than a bird's nest having just dodged two spells, locked his eyes with Snape.

"_Levicorpus_!"

That's when things began to go wrong.

Snape froze. The pride he felt at seeing Travers use his spell was quickly doused. Hearing his spell -_his spell_- come out of Potter's mouth, felt as if a bucket of water had been dumped on his head. His surprise quickly turned to anger, as his world turned topsy turvy. It was the first time Severus had felt the effects of his invented spell, and he felt his face turn red as the blood rushed down to his head and he waved his arms about helplessly as the cool Fall air kissed his bare legs.

"Nifty spell there. Thanks, Travers," Potter called arrogantly.

Lestrange had been too busy with Black to notice what had transpired. After finally pinning Black to the ground on his stomach, Lestrange glanced around in surprise at the mess around him. Lestrange was putting his full weight into Black's injured side, and even hung upside down, Severus could see Black was in pain.

Before Snape had a chance to wonder how he'd get down, it started down pouring. Snape had been so intent on the ambush's success; he had failed to notice the clouds rolling in or the darkening sky.

"Let's get out of here!" someone yelled, and that was all it took.

_Stupid Slytherins and their need to save their own skins._

Noticing the retreat of their assailants, Lupin was able to get Pettigrew down. Snape had no true friends among the Slytherins and quite a few passed on their way back to the castle without helping him down.

"Get me down from here, Lestrange!" Snape ordered through gritted teeth. Lestrange looked forlornly at his prey; Black was still struggling to get free beneath him. As Lestrange stood up, Black rolled on his back with a groan and Lestrange hit Sirius once more in the gut, with enough force that Snape winced along with Black. "We'll finish this later blood traitor!"

"_Finite Incantatem_," spoke Lestrange and Severus fell ungraciously to the ground. Lestrange didn't give him a hand to help him up, which was fine since Snape would have brushed it off anyway.

They jogged up the hill toward the castle and Severus couldn't help turning around for one last look at the Gryffindors. He wasn't worried about retaliation at that moment. Gryffindors wouldn't hex someone retreating or with their backs turned.

Predictably, Potter was already by Black's side and was helping Sirius stand up. They certainly look worse for wear. From afar, Black's injuries were the most prominent with the left side of his robes in tatters, swollen lip and bruised cheek.

"Are you coming?" Lestrange called. "We got them good enough. No sense getting wet."

Severus nodded, though something was preventing him from truly enjoying his success. He knew it was stupid, but Potter using his spell – Potter _knowing_ his spell – was absolutely infuriating. Severus wished for a Time Turner, so he could prevent himself from ever showing off the spell to his roommates. He'd meant to impress them, and he had, but that had been short lived and now Potter knew of it. Getting angry at his roommates though would do him no favor, so Snape tunneled it toward Potter and Black. With a renewed energy, Severus headed to his room; he would brew that Love Potion for Leila as soon as possible.

**

* * *

****Author's note: I know 'Levicorpus' is referred to as a non-verbal spell, but I assumed that it can also be used verbally for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you have time, it would mean a lot if you left a review. **


	10. Brothers

Chapter Ten

**A/N: Obviously this chapter is going to start off with a huge apology. I don't even know how long it has been since I updated. (I don't think I want to know…) I do know it has been way too long, and I sincerely apologize. I just started Graduate School and I have had very limited free time. I had trouble updating frequently when I had a lot more free time than I do now. That said, I miss writing, I miss this story, and I miss writing about my favorite quartet. So I do plan on continuing with this story. Please bear with me with the updates. My solution as of right now is to try shorter chapters. **

**I'm sure most of you have forgotten what happened in the last chapter. Here's a quick summary: Slughorn invites James and Sirius to a Slug Club party, and to Sirius's surprise James accepts. James shows first signs of interest in a certain Miss Evans. Sirius writes Andromeda a letter, and James has his detention with Professor Keenan. Remus teaches James and Sirius a useful prank spell. After Snape agrees he can brew the love potion Leila has chosen, Snape and a group of Slytherins attack Sirius, James, Remus and Peter outside near the Forbidden Forest. **

**Chapter Ten**

Gasping for breath, trying to fill his lungs with air, Sirius felt the wet, cold ground seep into the back of his robes. The pain from the last kick by Lestrange was severe and Sirius did not register Lestrange, Snape, and other Slytherins fleeing the scene. He closed his eyes willing the pain to dull, but the left side of his body still felt as it was on fire. Sirius opened his eyes and was surprised to find James kneeling beside him. James swiped his sodden bangs out of his face, squinting through his rain, streaked glasses.

"Let me help you up," James said offering his hand. Despite the fact it was still raining and the muddy ground he lay on was getting colder by the second, Sirius found the damp smell of the grass around him comforting and he was content to stay exactly where he was.

"Remus, come help me get up Sirius up. We need to get him out of the rain."

Before Sirius knew it, with their combined effort, James and Remus had hauled Sirius to his feet.

"I can walk," Sirius said immediately, brushing aside his friends' aide, despite the fact the world was still spinning, and he staggered as he took the first few steps.

Though still slightly dizzy, Sirius trudged ahead to the castle, intent on making it there without any help. James had silently walked beside him the entire way. Sirius had a feeling that James expected him to collapse at any moment. It took all of Sirius's remaining energy to make it to the first alcove inside the castle. He leaned his aching body on the first wall he spotted. He closed his eyes to control his breathing. He'd broken out into a sweat, though it was not noticeable as it had intermingled with the rain drops.

"Sirius – are – you-"

"I just need a moment," Sirius cut in before James could finish his question. Opening his eyes, it was only then Sirius noticed Peter was clutching his arm and his color as pale as Remus a few hours before his werewolf transformation.

"What's wrong with Peter?" Sirius asked deflecting their concern onto their other friend. He also began to cautiously peel his tattered cloak off; the wet cloth felt heavy and suffocating.

"Sprained wrist, I believe," Remus answered. "You both need to get to the Hospital Wing quickly."

"It looks worse than it is," Sirius lied.

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey to come here if you can't make it all the way," James offered.

"No, I can," Sirius said. "Only what are we going to tell her?"

James and Remus shared a puzzled look.

Sirius elaborated, "Peter's wrist we might be able to explain as an accident, but not my injuries-"

"That's what you're worried about?" Remus asked in exasperation. "You look like you can't take another two steps without collapsing."

"We can handle this better on our own without teacher intervention," Sirius implored, ignoring Remus, who sighed and shook his head.

"Let's worry about that later," James said. "If you don't lose consciousness on us, Peter just might."

Peter did indeed look as if he was suffering, so Sirius pushed off the wall he was leaning on to help propel himself forward.

They reached the hospital wing just in time. If the hospital wing had been a step further, Sirius believed he would have collapsed as his friends had feared.

Madam Pomprey was all a flutter the moment they entered.

"Lay down, Mr. Black," she commanded. Sirius gladly followed her order.

"Mr. Pettigrew have a seat beside Mr. Lestrange."

Sirius picked his head up slightly to see Peter shrink back from where Lestrange sat. Lestrange was holding a compress to his face where Sirius had punched him, and was now glaring at the four Gryffindors.

"Any injuries Mr. Potter?"

"No, but…"

"Mr. Lupin?"

"No."

"Out you two go then."

"But-" James began again.

"Come back in two hours to visit if Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew haven't returned by then."

Sirius could hear James muttering some more and then a sudden silence as the door shut behind James and Sirius. Madam Pomprey began working on Sirius immediately. He was stripped to his undergarments, and she began dabbing each laceration with a garment soaked in a smoking liquid.

"What spell hit you, Mr. Black?"

"I don't know," Sirius said back truthfully. Probably the only truthful thing he'd say about the incident.

"There's a touch of dark magic in this spell. I believe that is why the cuts aren't healing at all by themselves.

Then she put a pumice of strange herbs on the larger of the two gashes; one which was near his elbow and the other in the middle of his thigh.

"Lay still and I'll be back in a few moments."

Sirius could hear the nurse speaking with Peter. Madam Pomprey returned with two large spoons of green sap, which she told him would boost his immune system. As great as magic was to heal things, she believed nothing working better than your own bodies healing. It would also make him very drowsy for an hour or so until the effects wore off. As awful as the green mixture looked it was tasteless and went down as easily as a cup of water. The drowsy side effect was immediate. The room appeared to darken and Sirius already exhausted from the day's trauma and pain, had no strength to even begin to fight the sleep.

* * *

Sirius opened his eyes, feeling disoriented. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out. He found the right side of his body had been bandaged.

"Awake, Mr. Black?"

"Yes. Can I go now?" Even though he hadn't been in the Hospital Wing for an insufferably long time, he was ready to leave.

"I suppose," Madam Pomprey said. "You have to keep those bandages on until morning. Do not remove them yourself. Come to see me before breakfast tomorrow morning. The bruise on your cheek will have to heal on its own."

Sirius nodded, and carefully extracted himself out of the bed. He was surprised how weak he still felt as he stood up, but he wasn't about to tell the nurse.

"I almost forgot-"

Sirius froze halfway to the door.

"-You'll need to go straight to Professor McGonagall's office."

"For what?" Sirius asked innocently.

"I was not born yesterday, Mr. Black. Those are serious injuries you received, and they'll have to be reported to your Head of House."

Out in the corridor, Sirius began fretting. What was he supposed to tell McGonagall? Had Peter, James, or Remus already spoken to her? What had they said? He could tell the truth, but there was no guarantee that his friends had gone with the truth, and a huge variation in their stories would arise suspicion.

He immediately checked his pockets carefully for the two-way mirror, even though he knew it was not there. When he'd left the dormitory earlier that day, Sirius hadn't expected to be separated from James and had seen no sense in dragging the mirror along. It wasn't that it was heavy, but it could be cumbersome and the charm to lighten its weight had long worn off, and Sirius hadn't bothered to look up how to re-charm it.

Sirius dawdled as long as he could in the hallways as he made his way from the Hospital Wing to McGonagall's office. He knocked softly on the door hoping that McGonagall would be so engrossed in whatever she was doing in there that she would not hear, and he could be on his way.

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Sirius entered the room. His eyes widened in surprise; his three friends were standing side by side in front of McGonagall.

"Madam Pomprey alerted me that you were on your way, Mr. Black, so I sent someone to fetch the rest of your group."

James smiled at him. Remus threw him a worried look. Peter had his gaze fixed on the floor.

"We've been waiting for the past seven minutes for your arrival."

Sirius mumbled an apology. McGonagall had to have known that he had 'taken-his-time' to arrive.

"Now then, there was an altercation that resulted in injuries on both Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew. Please explain to me what happened."

The four boys remained silent. Sirius found it peculiar that McGonagall had decided on speaking to them together. Usually the teachers questioned them separately, and then compared their answers in hopes of gleaning some sort of truth. Maybe the truth would be the best bet for them, even if it meant revenge against Snape and the Slytherins would have to be done in a sneaker, less obvious way.

Sirius cleared his throat, readying himself to speak.

"We were attacked," Peter blurted. "Only we couldn't identify them. Sirius and James don't want word to get out since they are a bit embarrassed that they were caught unaware. They don't want people thinking their dueling skills aren't up to par, but I told them not to worry. It wasn't a fair fight. We were, after all, ambushed."

Sirius, Remus, and James all looked at Peter in various degrees of surprise, not only for being the first to speak up, but for coming up with a fib.

"Why couldn't you identify them?" McGonagall was also caught off guard by Peter's answer, so she did not notice Sirius, James, and Peter's reaction.

"Their faces were hidden by the hoods of their robes. Umm…they wore Hogwarts robes, so we know they were students. They were hidden right at the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"And during the attack, during the _scuffle_,not one of their hoods fell down to reveal their faces?"

"No," Peter said. "It is strange, isn't it? They must have used some sort of Sticking Charm so that wouldn't happen."

"Hmm…do the rest of you have anything to add?"

"No," Sirius, James, and Remus said in unison.

McGonagall surveyed them. Sirius could tell she wasn't sure what to make of the story. It was widely known that Peter wasn't a very good liar, especially under the scrutiny of a teacher, but her gut was telling her that she wasn't getting the full story.

"I'll make a report of it, but unless you can identify anyone there is not much I can do. And since you do not know who your attackers are, I should not find half of Slytherin house sporting pink hair or covered in tree sap tomorrow."

"Of course not, Professor," James said suppressing a grin.

"Good. Off you go then."

The boys left the office, and stayed quiet until they were far away enough not to be worried about being overheard.

"Peter, way to think on your feet!" James exclaimed patting Peter on the back. Peter beamed at the compliment.

"Since when can you lie?" Sirius asked abruptly. He wasn't sure why, but he was bothered my Peter's change of role in their group, even if it had only been for a moment. Peter had always expected one of them (Sirius, James or Remus) to bail them out of trouble.

"I've had some practice over the summer. My Mum wouldn't let me go anywhere, so I had to learn to be a bit deceiving," Peter stated.

"Your plan didn't go exactly as planned though Sirius," Remus said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You didn't want us to tell the truth because then we can't enact revenge on the Slytherins. I don't think McGonagall completely bought our story, and if anything happens to the Slytherins, she'll know it was us."

"Remus, Remus," Sirius said shaking his head. "McGonagall only mentioned about nothing happening to the Slytherins _tomorrow_. She didn't say anything about the next day or the day after that."

"He has a point, Remus," James chimed in with a laugh.

"Fine. Engage in your revengeful thoughts," Remus replied.

"Thank you for your permission, prefect," Sirius said formally.

"Don't remind him of his prefect duties!" James cried out, and the four boys burst into loud laughter as they continued on to the Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Despite thinking revengeful thoughts, Sirius and James found they had no time to actually put any plan into action that week. Walking back from dinner later that week, Sirius noticed a boy with black hair a few strides ahead of them hurriedly picking up a folder he'd dropped. As the boy straightened up making sure to tuck away the newspaper clippings back into the folder that were sticking out, Sirius found himself face to face with his brother.

Instead of walking away or pretending he didn't recognize Sirius – all things Regulus usually did when they encountered each other – Regulus was watching him.

"Go on ahead without me," Sirius mumbled to his friends.

"Are you sure?" James asked looking at Regulus distrustfully.

"I'll be along in a moment," Sirius replied. He wasn't eager to speak to his brother, but he walked up towards Regulus as if he had no care in the world.

"What do you have there?" Sirius motioned to the folder.

"Nothing," Regulus said a bit too quickly. "Interesting look you are going for with that bruised cheek."

"And I'm sure you have no idea who did this," Sirius said sarcastically. There was no doubt in his mind that the Slytherins had bragged about the attack in their common room.

"I know how you like to get into fights."

"Fight? This was an ambush."

"The official story is you didn't see your attackers."

"That's correct. How's Lestrange's nose? I heard a fifth year did that too him."

"I don't think you want to start comparing injuries."

"Only because it wasn't a fair fight."

"Things always have to be _fair _with you Gryffindors."

"And Slytherins can never win unless things aren't _fair_."

"Everyone is waiting for your retaliation."

Sirius snorted. "You think I'm going to tell you when and where?"

"I think it is all pointless."

Sirius regarded this brother's words for a moment. Strangely, Regulus rarely involved himself in Slytherin House versus Gryffindor House feuds. Sirius had yet to figure out the reason, since Regulus held Gryffindors generally in disdain.

"Was your plan to try to talk me out of retaliation?"

"I know that wouldn't work. Though, why retaliation? Why not just tell the teachers who attacked you?"

"They'd get thrown into detention, and then what?"

"For some people detention isn't something to strive for."

"My way is more satisfying."

"I see."

"I suppose you'd rather wait to fight it out on the Quidditch pitch?"

"So you've heard?"

"Who Slytherin's new Seeker is? Of course, I heard! Did you forget that James is my best mate?"

"That is something I can only dream of forgetting."

"Ah! Mr. Black!" Professor Keenan was walking toward them smiling like a Cheshire cat. "And Mr. Black!"

"Good evening, sir," Regulus stated.

"Interrupting anything?"

"No, sir. We're finished," Regulus said. His answer confused Sirius. He hadn't been sure where the conversation was heading, and now he would never know. The Black brothers certainly never spoke to just speak.

"Excellent. I wish to speak with Sirius."

"He's all yours. Have a good night, sir," Regulus said and he walked briskly away without saying another syllable to Sirius.

Sirius sighed. He couldn't think of a reason for Professor Keenan to single him out. He'd completed all his class work and homework for the week. He'd even been relatively well-behaved in class the last few days.

"Let's go to my classroom. Right this way, Mr. Black."

Sirius followed Keenan to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Other students watched curiously as they walked through the hallways, and many called greetings to Professor Keenan.

Inside the room, Keenan began, "I have – had – a brother. He was younger than me too." Keenan picked up the picture from his desk and handed it over to Sirius.

"He looks nothing like you," Sirius observed. The younger man in the picture was blonder and paler, than his dark-haired, tanner older brother.

"Something he was quite proud of," Keenan revealed. "He didn't look anything like my mother or father. He took after my mother's side. All her brothers were blonde. Strange how that works, eh."

Sirius nodded, noting in the back of his mind that the picture had been taken by a Muggle camera.

"I always wished we'd been closer as brothers," Keenan said taking back the photograph and looking at it with a closed expression.

"Am I in trouble for something, sir?" Sirius asked. He'd never been the type of student to speak candidly with a teacher or about personal things, and he wasn't about to start with Keenan.

"No."

"Then why am I here?"

"I'd like us to talk."

"Is that part of your list of teaching duties, sir?"

Ignoring Sirius's out right rudeness, Keenan continued, "If you recall that first day I had you write a little about yourself?"

"I recall, sir."

"You never did answer that satisfactorily."

"Then put me in detention."

"That would accomplish nothing, Mr. Black."

_Except you leaving me alone_, thought Sirius.

"We have a lot in common."

"I've never heard of the surname Keenan. And trust me, sir, my mother made sure I knew all the families worth knowing. Judging by your stagnant photograph, your family is Muggle."

"Correct. I was the only wizard in my family. Though there was a Great Uncle on my father's side who the family stopped speaking to, who we believe may have been magical. Just because I am not part of the wizard elite doesn't mean I can't understand what you are going through or relate. My family is well-known among Muggles. My family is both wealthy and powerful– my name was listed to attend Eton before I got me letter-"

"Yet you became a teacher."

Keenan smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was a sudden banging on the classroom door and a Hufflepuff prefect burst in. "Sir! There's a fight in the hallway! They're going mad!"

"I'll be right along." Professor Keenan glanced wryly at Sirius. "A decision I may regret after this year though. You're dismissed _for now_."

Keenan's last words 'for now' echoed in Sirius's head. _What on earth did Keenan want from him? _Even if they had similarities, which Sirius seriously doubted, why did it matter and why would Keenan even care?

With his thoughts banging around in his head, Sirius almost walked right past the Portrait of the Fat Lady. James was sitting at one of the round tables yawning as Sirius entered.

"That was a long chat with your brother," James started.

"I got wrangled into a talk with Keenan."

"In trouble for something?"

"That's what I thought – but he just wanted to talk."

"That's odd."

"I know."

"Do you think your mother asked him to speak to you?"

The idea had crossed Sirius's mind, but there had been a genuineness behind Keenan's words; his mother had not been behind this.

"No. He thinks we have things in common."

"He wants to be chums with you? Does he not have any friends his own age?"

"He showed me a picture of his brother."

"The one on his desk?"

"He showed it to you too?"

"No, I just noticed it. Maybe his brother is like Regulus."

"I doubt it. Keenan appears to like Regulus."

"It's a mystery then."

"That it is."

* * *

**Author's note: Hopefully I still have some readers left. A review would also be nice. **


	11. Lily's Affections

**Chapter 11: Lily's Affections**

Sirius tapped his foot impatiently glaring at the two empty seats across the round table that should have contained his two friends, James and Peter. Remus sat besides him swirling around a pile of feathers with his wand.

"I knew I should have gone to the kitchens instead of Peter," Sirius said breaking the silence. "I bet he got lost."

"Peter's not that dense Sirius," Remus said.

"Then why is it taking him so long?"

"Use your imagination."

"I did, and my imagination says he got lost."

Just then James came strutting into the boys' fifth year dormitory. "Hello, lads," James called cheerily. He hadn't bothered to change out of his Quidditch practice robes.

"Did you get the leaves?"

James nodded, and chucked his school bag – which instead of being filled with books and paper was filled with fallen leaves. "I had to double back outside after walking to the castle with the team. I didn't want anyone questioning why I was taking a bag of leaves back to the castle. So it's just the bubbles we're missing?"

"We have that covered too, right Remus."

"All set."

"I thought it would take over a week for that shop to owl it to us," pondered James.

"We've got connections," Sirius said mysteriously.

Remus laughed. "By that he means a Gyffindor first year gave us a bottle of bubbles, and we _enhanced _it."

James rolled his eyes. "And we're missing Peter."

"He got lost going to the kitchens," Sirius explained.

"How do you know that?" James asked puzzled.

"He doesn't. He's just assuming," Remus said.

As if on cue Peter burst into the room out of breath.

"Got lost?" Sirius asked the picture of politeness.

"No," Peter mumbled. "I was delayed."

"Why?" Sirius asked. He was interested in why Peter looked flustered by the direction of the topic.

"By Darlene."

"Who?"

"Victoria Dekker's friend."

"The really really tall one?" James asked Peter.

"Yes."

"I'm still not sure who you are talking about," Sirius said.

"You've seen her. She has really blonde hair that looks almost white," James supplied.

Sirius shrugged; the identity of Darlene was still escaping him. "Guess she's not that noticeable."

"I know who she is Peter. I believe she's in the top five of her class," Remus said joining in on the conversation.

"Why'd she delay you?" James asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"No…it wasn't like that," Peter said turning pink. "You have the wrong idea. She was asking me about _Remus_."

"Remus?" Sirius echoed in surprise.

"Me?" Remus gulped looking flabbergasted.

"Now I really want to know who she is," Sirius said grinning at Remus.

"What did she want to know?" Remus asked quietly.

"If you were seeing anyone."

"What did you say?"

"No, obviously. You aren't seeing anyone, are you?"

"No, I'm not – but-" Remus said.

"What else did she want to know?" interrupted James.

"That was really the only question she asked me. She just talked a lot about stupid girl stuff – talked my ear off – which is why it took me forever to get back from the kitchens."

"Now that your curiosity about Peter's whereabouts is fulfilled, can we please move on to why we are here – to plan a prank?" Remus voiced.

Sirius shook his head in amusement. Only something like talking about a potential love-interest of Remus would get Remus to actually _want_ to plan a prank.

"Yes, lets," Peter said in agreement, and he began passing out the bottles of pumpkin juice he had lifted from the kitchens, as well as a basket of sweets that he placed in the middle of the table.

Planning a prank was serious business. It took research, planning, patience, and timing. It involved heated discussions and agreement by all members of the group. It involved innovation and effective use of each person's talent.

As usual James took the lead. "We've got the spell," James began. "Thanks to the Duplication Spell Remus stumbled upon in the library."

Remus did a mock bow with his head.

James continued, "We have the supplies; feathers, bubbles, and leaves. The target?"

"Entire student population, specifically Slytherin," Sirius stated.

Through this prank they were killing two birds with one stone – introducing the school to the Marauders and more importantly getting back at the Slytherins for the ambush. It had eased Remus's conscience by enacting revenge in this way. Despite always ragging on Remus, their friend's sensibility generally was right on point. They had three safe-guards; it would be close to two weeks after the ambush making it less likely to be pinned on them, the prank involved the whole school so less likely the teachers and headmaster would think this was planned against the Slytherins, and they were not going to take credit for it in any shape or form – the _Marauders_ would.

"We need to figure out the locations," James said. "Have we decided on three floors? One for each of the supplies?"

"Or we could double some of the floors," Peter interjected. "James brought plenty of leaves."

"It would cause more chaos," Sirius agreed.

"Too much chaos," protested Remus. "It will be complicated enough magic to get all three floors to happen simultaneously."

"There are four of us. We could each be responsible for setting one off," Peter explained.

Remus shook his head. "It will look too suspicious if we are all on separate floors – especially James and Sirius – when this all goes off."

"Ok, three floors," Peter said looking slightly dejected that his idea was being pushed to the side.

James taking the lead again asked, "Which three floors?"

"Dungeons obviously," Sirius said. "Ground floor? There are some classrooms, the Great Hall, staff room, and Flich's office."

"And First Floor," Remus said. "We've got Defense Classroom and History of Magic classrooms there."

"And McGonagall's and Keenan's office!" Sirius said with a grin.

"Ok so Dungeons, Ground Floor, and First floor. Everyone in agreement?" reiterated James.

The boys all nodded.

"All that's left is which supply will be set off in which floor, and what time we want this go to off," James announced.

"I vote for the time period between breakfast ending and before classes begin. This way there will still be some students in the Great Hall finishing up for breakfast, there will still be students who return to their common room before first class, so the Dungeons will still have large number of Slytherins, and there will also be some students heading to their classrooms early," Remus said.

Sirius smiled. He was glad Remus was fully participating in the planning of the prank. Sirius had originally thought Remus would just sit there silently and only inject his opinion with the things he didn't agree with.

"Sounds like the perfect time to me," James said. "I think we could do it this Monday. Remus, you're comfortable enough with the spell?"

"Yes. Our main roadblock is we need to set it up that night and we don't want it going off before it is supposed to."

"Isn't it possible to put the magic on a timer?" Peter asked.

"Yes there is," Sirius said. "I can figure out by Sunday night how to do that."

"And what will trigger each? Touch or a code word?" Remus asked.

"I was thinking," James said, "With the feathers we could have them falling down from an archway as students are walking through. It would be set off by them stepping on it or the feathers falling right on them. The Timer Charm would be set to have the feathers actually fall. Then the leaves we could make a line across the hallway, and place an Invisible Charm on them. The trigger for the leaves could also be touch."

"Wouldn't they be able to hear the crunching of the leaves under foot even if the leaves are invisible?" Sirius asked.

"Just switch it then. Leaves falling down and feathers a line on the ground," Remus suggested.

"And the bubbles could also fall down. If I saw bubbles falling down suddenly from the ceiling I'd try to pop them," Peter said. "Touch trigger would work for that as well."

James looked thoughtful. "So theoretically once the charm is placed, one touch of any of these items would cause the feather, leaf or bubble to duplicate until-"

"Yes it would duplicate until it filled whatever border we decide on. I would just have to trace my wand around the entire floor and it would duplicate until the whole floor – top to bottom- was filled with the feathers, leaves or bubbles," Remus replied.

"Last of all, what on which floor?" James said.

"Leaves on Dungeons," Sirius voiced without hesitation.

"Bubbles on the Ground," Remus offered next.

"That leaves feathers on the first floor," James said.

"Fine with me," Peter said.

"Excellent. Good work gentlemen."

The rest of the night they practiced the magical spells they'd need to have the prank be successful, worked out some of the minor details, and had all around good time in each others company.

* * *

It was a stormy Friday night and most of the Gryffindors had settled in the Common Room earlier than usual. The level of noise was considerable, but no one objected. Seventh years had taken over the best and warmest seats by the fireplace, and even James and Sirius who generally felt entitled to getting anything and everything they wanted weren't about to kick the older boys out of their seats.

All six of the fifth-year Gryffindor boys, including Terry Keeler and Derek Newbell, were seated tightly around a small table generally only meant for four students.

Peter was telling them a funny story that had happened earlier that morning. The owl who was supposed to deliver a letter to him would not give the letter up and instead kept diving at Peter and anyone who had been standing in the vicinity. Finally an older student had come to Peter's aide and zapped the owl right out of the sky. The owl's talons were gripped so tightly around the letter that they had to bring it to the Care of Magical Creature Professor, who half-woke the bird, so that its grip on the letter slackened and the letter could be liberated.

Sirius was amused by the story, but he couldn't help but be distracted by James – who himself kept fidgeting and glancing over at the fifth-year girls. When Terry began talking about his own strange owl experience, Sirius tuned him out – slightly bored with the topic- and as his gaze wandered he first saw Victoria Dekker, and next to her a very tall and very blonde girl. Sirius elbowed Remus beside him.

"What?" Remus mouthed. Remus always a polite conversationalist had been listening to Terry's tale with avid attention.

"Is that Darlene?"

Remus glanced up and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Sirius."

"Oh Darlene!" Sirius called out loudly. Actually very loudly since his voice had to carry over the din of all the other students.

"What are you doing?" hissed Remus.

Darlene froze and glanced over at Sirius with a perplexed look. Darlene wasn't used to being called on by a boy as popular or even half as popular as Sirius.

"Yes?" she called out nervously, her face turning rapidly red.

"Remus wants to talk to you!" Sirius carried on. He pointed at Remus who slumped down in his seat.

Darlene stood up suddenly and Sirius realized she really did have a tall and imposing figure. She looked worriedly at Remus when he didn't make a move to stand up. Sirius pushed his friend out of his seat.

"I'm going to kill you for this," Remus said in a low voice and then placed a false smile on his face as he motioned Darlene toward a less crowed area of the common room.

"You'll thank me for this," Sirius said back quietly, though Remus was too far away to hear.

Sirius turned to his best friend to get his opinion on the Remus-Darlene matter when he noticed James was not beside him. At around the same time Remus had left to Darlene, James had made his way toward the fifth-year girls. Sirius watched James curiously as James ran a hand through his hair and took the last few steps toward the girls.

"Hey Evans!"

Lily, who had been braiding Mary's hair, jerked her head up in surprise. "Hello Potter. Can we help you?" Her voice had a chilly edge to it and the girls around her tittered. James felt his resolve faltering; it took all his Gryffindor courage to not turn around and run.

"Are you going to the Slug party?" James was shocked that his voice was steady, and did not betray how foolish he actually felt.

Lily's eyes widened. She stopped braiding and appraised James. "Yes, I am," she replied, her voice still chilled.

"Great…Sirius and I are going as well." James paused placing his hands in his pockets, aware all the girls and possibly half of the common room were waiting for his next question. "Since we are all going, would you want to walk with us there tomorrow night?"

The words came out fast, and for a moment James feared he'd have to repeat them again. Lily's friends erupted into giggles again, obviously understanding his intent enough to mock him.

Lily blushed, causing James to feel his face heat up as well. "I'm meeting Severus already," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh," James said now wishing desperately he had never left his seat and was still pretending to listen to Terry.

"They are only _friends_," Catherine Pierce interjected.

"Catherine!" Lily cried looking embarrassed.

"What? Weren't you just assuring us yesterday that you did not harbor a secret crush on Snape and that you held purely platonic feelings toward him?" Catherine replied innocently.

"Potter doesn't need to know that," Lily protested.

"I think he does," Catherine said cheekily, winking at James.

Lily sent her friend a murderous look.

"I'll see you at the party then?" James asked hopefully.

"I suppose," Lily said with no commitment.

James nodded and returned to his seat between Sirius and Peter.

"What did she say?" Sirius asked, having been unable to hear the conversation.

"She's walking to the party with Snape," James mumbled.

"I thought you were asking her to go to the party with you?" Peter said.

James shook his head. "Good thing I didn't."

Remus was suddenly walking past them away from Darlene and straight up to their dormitory without a word. Darlene looked confused, embarrassed, and she returned to her friends with her head bowed down.

"What's wrong with Remus?" James asked.

Sirius sighed. "I'll go see."

He stood up and followed his friend up the stairs. Sirius jumped the stairs so quickly that he'd arrived before Remus even had time to get his feelings sorted privately.

"I don't want to speak to you," Remus announced gruffly.

Sirius held up his hands in defense. "I can see things didn't go well…I was only trying to help."

"Did you see how she was at least an inch and a half taller than me?" Remus moaned sitting down on his bed.

"So? You're a werewolf."

Remus cast him an incredulous look.

"I just mean with her height she wouldn't be very picky…"

"And I shouldn't be either? I should lower my standards?" Remus said his voice high and strained with emotion.

Sirius winced; aware he'd taken the wrong approach. "No. I didn't mean it in that way. Aren't I supposed to be the shallow one of the group? I thought you were adult enough to look past her height."

"I'm not interested in a relationship at the moment."

"You never are!"

"I'm only fifteen. It isn't as if I am twenty-five and never been properly with a girl!"

Sirius huffed.

"I have good reasons, Sirius."

"Don't tell me you like blokes?" Sirius asked jokingly.

Remus fought back a smile and stated sarcastically, "You caught me. I'm secretly in love with you."

Sirius laughed, though when he noticed Remus still looked very troubled, asked, "It's your furry little problem, isn't it?"

"I know you find it hard to believe, but not everyone is as accepting as you, James and Peter."

Sirius did not find it hard to believe, after all his family believed werewolves were not humans. "You know, you don't have to feel guilty about not telling a girl about your problem even after a few dates. You don't owe that to any girl."

"I know…but isn't that starting a relationship on a lie?"

"It's a necessary lie, and you know it. Any girl that is worthy of you will understand as well."

"That's easy to say, but it doesn't change that fact that – I _do_ feel guilty and I am lying. I _hate_ having to lie. I hate pretending I'm _normal_. "

"You are normal," Sirius said. They'd had this conversation before. He felt a bit as a failure as a friend that they still had been unable to really convince Remus that he was normal.

"I'm not," Remus insisted. "You can't make something true just by saying it over and over again."

"Who wants to be normal anyway? Look at me, I'm a blood traitor. My parents certainly don't believe I'm normal. And James? The way his hair sticks out? That certainly isn't normal. And his obsession with Quidditch goes way beyond normal."

Remus smiled.

"Now I would consider Snivellus to be the biggest and weirdest oddball of the entire school, maybe even in the history of Hogwarts. You are a thousand times more normal than he is. And Peter-"

"I get it," Remus said.

Sirius grinned. "Good."

"I'm still not interested in Darlene."

"Fair enough," Sirius said. "Ready to return to the common room?"

"Sure, better than sulking here the rest of the night."

"That's the spirit, mate."

* * *

Severus Snape was anxious for Lily to arrive. He found himself pacing in front of the Great Hall where they'd agreed to meet. As always, the state of his robes – worn and frayed – was far from adequate for a Slug party. His mother didn't see the need for new or fancy dress robes. She didn't understand how important it was for him, if he wanted to get ahead, to impress the right people. His mother had already put him socially in terms of blood status behind by marrying a stupid Muggle. And the right people cared and noticed things like the quality and expense of dress robes. Severus liked to give the impression he could care less about frivolous things such as the right clothes and haircut, but that was only to cover the fact he couldn't afford to compete in such areas. Another thing both Black and Potter beat him in.

Lily's arrival left Severus feeling breathless. She glided down the stairs in a Muggle dress. Severus couldn't deny she looked elegant and beautiful in the dress, but he felt a twinge of annoyance. He was always trying to bury his Muggle side, while here his best friend was flaunting it. Severus received enough grief from his housemates about his Muggleborn friend, and it would not help matters by her coming to a wizard party dressed as a Muggle. He didn't say anything, having learned the hard way that it would only anger her. Their relationship was already strained; keeping quiet on this matter was the safe choice.

"Hello, Sev!" Lily had a large genuine smile on her face. "Who do you think Professor Slughorn will have as his special guest tonight? A vampire? Famous Quidditch Player, perhaps?"

Severus shrugged. He was hoping it would be someone more influential than merely famous.

Lily gave him a side-long glance. "James Potter asked me to walk with him to the party tonight."

Time came to a complete halt. "What?" he managed to choke out. His throat and chest tightened, and he felt an overwhelming sensation of trepidation wash over him, as if he'd just been doused with a bucket of icy water.

"Apparently he and Black were planning to go to the party – I don't think they attended any of Slughorn's parties last year – and he asked if I wanted to walk with them." She laughed nervously. With each word out of her mouth, Severus felt an increasing sense of doom. "Strange, isn't it?"

Lily's cheeks were tinged pink as she looked at him for – Severus wasn't sure what she wanted. _Why had she even told him?_ She knew how he despised Potter. And she herself had always detested both boys. He only knew it wasn't safe for him to speak.

"I suppose it was nice of Potter to offer," she continued lightly.

"Nice?" Severus hissed unable to suppress his anger any longer.

Lily looked startled.

"I doubt 'being nice' was his main motivation." Severus could think of many reasons why any fifteen year old boy would want to be near a girl as pretty as Lily, and they all made his blood boil. He'd always known he would have to compete with suitors eventually, but never had it crossed his mind that it could be Potter.

"You're angry," she stated. "I told him flat out I couldn't. I was walking with you. I would never stand you up, especially not for the likes of James Potter. Being nice once doesn't erase all the times he's been a toe rag. I haven't forgotten how horribly he treats you. "

Severus felt slightly mollified. He didn't dare ask her what her answer would have been if she hadn't arranged to meet him first.

"Are you ready to go?"

Severus nodded and they began walking silently side by side. He knew at the moment he had one up on James Potter in winning Lily's affections. Lily considered him a friend and she still held Potter in a mostly negative light. Yet Potter was personable, popular, Quidditch hero, and better looking than Severus and Lily resisting his charms would only encourage Potter to continue to pursue her. He clenched his fists tightly as a silent outlet to the rage against Potter that was building inside of him. He certainly hadn't needed another reason to despise Potter, and this reason was the icing on the cake.

* * *

**Author's note: Thanks for reading! Reviews encourage me to continue writing, so be sure to leave one!**


	12. Slug Club Party

**Author's note: This chapter is way over-due. And I had planned for it to include the prank, but since HBP movie is coming out tomorrow, I wanted to surprise everyone with an update (and I don't have the time to add the prank). It has been so long, I had to reread my story to remember what I had written! **

* * *

Most students would have been honored to be invited to Slughorn's beginning-of-the-school-year-dinner-party. The room was decorated to impress, and no longer resembled a classroom; the desks had been moved out and small round tables like those found in the common rooms had replaced them. The round tables were adorned with purple silk table cloths and the dreary curtains had also been replaced with silky purple curtains.

Walking into Slughorn's party, for Sirius, was like walking into a room filled with people he made a point of avoiding. As James and Sirius sauntered in, they spotted Professor Slughorn in the center of the room, mercifully lathering praise on two Ravenclaw sisters who had famous Uncles so he didn't even notice there entrance. Regulus was off to a corner dressed regally and laughing along with his Slytherin housemates. Leila Yaxley was a few feet from his brother, holding court in front of a group of admirers.

James didn't seem alarmed by the present company, but he was scanning the room anxiously. And despite what people thought of Sirius - and in terms of arrogance they were generally correct- Sirius was not selfish. His best friend fancied a girl and if offering support meant he had to endure some unpleasantness for a few hours, he'd gladly do it

"There she is," James breathed.

"Go ahead," Sirius said rolling his eyes, though James had his full attention on Evans already so he didn't notice.

"Sirius!" A girl was rushing toward him and embraced him so suddenly; Sirius was barely able to identify her.

"Victoria?" Sirius asked in surprise. Letting go of Sirius, the girl nodded. He was surprised to see her, since there was nothing about her family that Slughorn would covet.

"I'm here with my boyfriend," Victoria explained as if she'd read his mind. She motioned toward a tall boy from Ravenclaw who was glowering at Sirius.

"I don't think he likes me very much," Sirius joked lightly.

Victoria huffed. "Well if he can greet his _girl_ friends in an overly friendly manner, so can I with my _guy _friends."

Sirius grinned catching on with Victoria's intentions. Victoria looked amazing – she was a naturally pretty girl – and the time she'd spent to prepare herself only highlighted her beauty. He was surprised any guy would be able to tear his eyes off her.

"Wouldn't this work better with James? You know the guy you've been crushing on since I've known you?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed his sudden interest in Evans." They both turned at the same time to see James grabbing an empty paper cup out of Lily's hand and enthusiastically filling it up with fruit punch. Lily rolled her eyes, but she wasn't running as far away from James as possible which was a good sign. "James is occupied, so I picked you."

"Naturally because of my good looks and charm."

"Not exactly," she replied laughing.

"No?"

"I knew I could hug you a little longer than necessary and you wouldn't get the wrong idea."

"Oh-well." Sirius paused a moment. "Why is it we never considered going on a date?"

Victoria looked surprised. "Aside from the obvious reason I was besotted with your best mate?"

"Yea – but you've been over him for at least a year now."

"Probably because you can't use any of those usual cheesy pick up lines on me," she replied with a grin. "I'd just laugh at you."

"Hmmm that could present a problem," Sirius agreed with mock seriousness. "Hey! My lines aren't that awful…"

Victoria patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I better go back to my boyfriend. I think he'll be sufficiently jealous by now."

"Glad I could help," Sirius said wryly.

"Save me dance," she said softly and walked away. Then a few steps ahead – his eyes were still trained on her – Victoria turned back to flash him smile. Sirius was surprised to feel his heart begin to patter. She'd never had that effect on him before. He shook his head hoping to shake the images of them together out of his mind.

"She's a bit innocent for your tastes."

Sirius inwardly groaned to see Leila Yaxley had approached him silently, and he glared at her in response. Leila was mostly correct; his first kiss and first date had been with girls a year above him, but he didn't owe Leila any explanation.

"If I'd know you were coming to Slughorn's party, I would have suggested we come together."

"Why would we do that?"

"Stop being difficult. It will only make things worse for you." There was a vaguely threatening tone to her words that in another situation might have sent the warning bells off in Sirius's mind, but not wanting to worry about such things at the moment, he brushed it off. There was only so much his parents and her parents could do. Even if it came down to forcing him to sign a marriage contract, it would become null and void the moment Sirius turned seventeen. He just needed to delay everything as long as possible.

"Can I talk to my brother?"

"I'm not done talking to him," Leila said glaring at Regulus.

"You can have him back. This won't take long."

"Fine," Leila said, striding back to her group of admirers who moments ago had been straining to overhear their conversation.

"Admitting I'm your brother in public?" Sirius asked, putting his brother immediately on the defensive side.

"I'm not the one ashamed of our family."

"I see Professor Slughorn eyeing us. He's going to come over any minute now, so whatever you want to say, can you just say it?"

"Why are Potter and you here?"

"We enjoy a good Slug Club party."

"If you do anything to embarrass the family tonight…"

"You'll do what?"

"Mother will believe anything I write about you."

"Lying to mother? I didn't think – I don't think- you have it in you to do so."

"Embellishment. Not lying. You get into trouble left and right anyway. You do most of the work for me."

Sirius snorted.

"Anyway telling the truth generally enrages mother and father satisfactorily enough. All I've go to mention is the name Potter next to your own and –"

"Boys!"

Sirius flinched expecting to see Slughorn's walrus like mustache smiling at him. Only this voice, on second thought, was silkier and more groomed.

"Mr. Malfoy," Regulus greeted in an awed, respectful tone.

"Lucius," Sirius said, making a statement by using an informal greeting. "What are you doing at a party full of school children?"

"Narcissa and I are special guests of Horace Slughorn." Sirius now spotted his cousin Narcissa speaking to the same group of girls Leila had just joined. "I also found this the perfect setting for the business I need to attend to."

Reflexively Sirius asked, "What business?" As he said it, one answer surfaced in Sirius's mind, only not even Lucius would be brazen enough to talk of such a sensitive matter right under Dumbledore's nose.

"The type I spoke to you over the summer about."

"My answer hasn't changed," Sirius said coldly.

"Won't you at least give me the curtsey of the speech I've been preparing?"

"Are you talking about _him_?" Regulus asked in awe, eyes wide.

"What do you know of this?" Sirius demanded.

"As much as anyone," Regulus said and then with more conviction. "And I want to join as soon as I can."

"You don't know anything. You're just a child."

"I'm not that much younger than you. And in two years I can-"

"Regulus, leave us."

"But!" Regulus began to argue looking at Lucius for aide.

Lucius shrugged. "If your brother thinks it's best."

Sirius nodded and Regulus stomped away only proving how much a child he still was.

"That was touching…really. The best way to protect him-"

"Let me guess. Joining with you lot."

"The Dark Lord would see no need in recruiting Regulus if he had you – the heir. As I said before, The Dark Lord is content – for now- with just your support. It is a very generous over, if I may add."

"Then visit my mother and father. They will gladly sign an oath of allegiance."

"He wants _your_ allegiance."

"Why would he care so much about me?"

"Come now. Everyone has heard of the Black boy who was sorted into Gryffindor. A Black who befriends mudbloods and blood traitors. Your allegiance will nudge all those families teetering on the edge of indecision over to his side."

"Why would I help someone's agenda who I disagree with on every level?"

"If protecting your brother isn't enough. If making your mother and father proud of you isn't enough. What about protecting Potter?"

"Leave James out of this."

Lucius smiled. A smile that indicated he'd known before the conversation had begun that one way or another they'd arrive to this point. "I have no personal problem with the Potters. But they've made a lot of enemies. What if I were to tell you, the Potters have been placed on a hit list? What if I were to tell you they were planning to target the son, James? A school boy, forgive me, is a much easier target than two full grown wizards. Mr. and Mrs. Potter would be devastated, don't you agree? Only son. So bright. So young. So full of life."

Sirius stood still, anger coursing through his veins, though fear was slowly setting in.

"What if you could protect James? Is your best mate's life really not worth compromising a few ideals?"

"What are you saying?" Sirius said through clenched teeth. Wanting Malfoy to say it again. Daring him to repeat the threat.

"You heard me, Sirius."

"Is there a problem here?"

"Potter," Lucius sneered.

"Malfoy," James spat back.

Sirius couldn't look at James, his mind was still befuddled by Malfoy's threat.

"I'll need your answer within a week, Sirius," Lucius said with deliberate carefulness. "Good day."

"Good day," James mimicked when Lucius was out of ear shot. "What a lout!"

Sirius shrugged, still not having spoken a word.

"What did Malfoy mean? What answer does he want?"

"Nothing," Sirius said shortly.

"You looked like you were about to murder him. That doesn't happen from nothing."

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Sirius."

"I said, it was _nothing_, James."

"Do you want to leave?"

"I never wanted to come!" Sirius realized as he said those words, he was blowing up at the wrong person, but getting James mad would be the only way to get him to stop pestering him with questions.

"Sorry I asked you. Sorry it was such an inconvenience."

It was then, at the worst moment of the evening, Slughorn waddled over. "Mr. Black! Mr. Potter! It is so nice to see you both here."

Sirius already near breaking point could not deal with Slughorn. Without a word, without a fake smile or a polite excuse, he strode out of the room, leaving a shocked Professor, a worried best friend, a room full of whispering students.

Sirius did not return to the dorm for two reasons. One, he knew he'd be bombarded by questions from Remus and Peter. Two, it was bound to be the first place James would go looking for him. Sirius tore through the halls not caring about running into patrolling prefects or teachers. Let them put him in detention. He let the door to the grounds slam behind him and took a seat out in the courtyard.

The cool night air was refreshing and he took several deep breaths. What on earth was he going to do? He couldn't win. How could he agree to Malfoy's request? And how could he not? He couldn't live with knowing he could have prevented his friend's death, but if – who was he kidding- _when _James found out he'd signed a letter of support to Voldemort, James would hate him. And he couldn't live with that either. It was bad enough his parents, brother, and family disliked him, and it was only because he'd found friendship outside their world that he could deal with it.

Sirius wasn't aware of how much time passed before James arrived.

"You found me."

"I expected to have to go all the way down to the Quidditch pitch. I'm rather glad you decided to sulk here."

"I'm thinking." _Not sulking_, Sirius added mentally.

"About what?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm worried. Malfoy having an interest in anyone is worrying."

"I can handle Malfoy."

"Can you handle Voldemort?"

Sirius flinched at the name.

"We've all expected their side to go after you."

"Have you?" Sirius answered sarcastically. "Wait – we?"

"My parents…and Dumbledore…"

"What?"

"My parents are friendly with Dumbledore."

"And they've discussed me – with _you_?"

"We have."

"It's not bad enough I have my brother spying on and reporting to my parents! Now I have my best friend-"

"I'm not spying and I'm not reporting to anyone. Look Dumbledore was concerned about the length Voldemort might go to recruit you." James paused and took a deep breath. "Even to the point of threatening my life."

"What?" His voice cracked.

"Malfoy threatened my life, didn't he? He told you joining could save me."

Sirius shook his head, but not so much in denial as in confusion.

"So it is true," James said quietly.

"Yes," Sirius said miserably. "But-"

"You don't have to deal with it on your own."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you warn me? My conversation with Malfoy would have been a lot different."

James faltered. "Well we weren't sure…"

"Dumbledore and your parents weren't sure what side I'd choose. That's it, isn't it?"

"I know you wouldn't have joined," James said quietly. "You've gone through hell over the past few years against your family. You aren't going to suddenly become a blood purist."

"That doesn't change the fact you are in danger."

"Most of the year I'm at Hogwarts. And Dumbledore doesn't believe it would be in Voldemort's best interest to off me, being that my parents are well-liked and popular. It would only bring sympathy and support to our side."

Sirius looked away. He wasn't sure how much stock he'd put into what Dumbledore believed.

"You were thinking of actually doing it," James said suddenly.

Sirius shrugged.

"I can't believe it."

"Wouldn't you if you were in my shoes?"

James opened his mouth and then closed it. "Just don't do anything rash."

"I've got only a week."

"Talk to someone."

"Who?"

"Dumbledore."

"Did he tell you to say that to me?"

James sighed. "My parents mentioned it." Seeing Sirius's furious face, James added hastily, "Not for me to tell you. They told me that if there was ever any trouble, I could trust Dumbledore."

"I can't." Sirius barely felt he could talk to James about this and facing the Headmaster seemed unthinkable.

"What about my parents? They wouldn't think less of you."

Sirius looked away. "I need to just think about this on my own. If I feel like I need to talk to an adult, I'll owl your parents. I promise."

James didn't look completely convinced, but he didn't press Sirius further.

"So how _did_ your chat with Evans go?"

James frowned. "I'm not so sure. She accepted the punch I poured for her, but that was all. She didn't really want to hang around to chat for long, and then I noticed Malfoy speaking with you…"

"You should have stayed at the party."

"Eh, it isn't like I won't see her around. We have all the same classes and we are in the same House."

Sirius rolled his eyes, but found he was smiling for the first time since Leila had approached him. Thinking of Leila made him think of Victoria. Because of his hasty exit, he didn't get the chance to dance with her. This was probably for the better.

James yawned. "Let's head back to the Tower. And tomorrow night we've got the prank to set-up."

Sirius nodded. The prank was just what he needed. He'd have to face this problem head on eventually, but ignoring it just for another day or so, he felt, wouldn't make it any worse.

* * *


	13. The Prank

Severus had always found sanctuary in the school library. Madam Pinch required silence and order, which deterred most students when they weren't studying for exams, OWLs or NEWTS. An added bonus was Potter and Black avoided this place on weekends. Of course Snape wouldn't admit he was avoiding anyone – especially Gryffindors. Severus wasn't a coward – he just needed quiet time every week.

Even if by some upside down chance the library was to suddenly fill up or if prefect Lupin could somehow convince his bamboo mates to pick up a book, Snape had his own secret place inside the sanctuary. It was all the way in the back to the left, past the large empty book shelf. Not many students bothered to see if there was anything past the empty shelves; Severus had. He had found an old, but sturdy wooden desk stashed where another book shelf should have been – almost as if for Severus to find. This area wasn't an official study location, and when the librarian had found him there two years ago, he'd been afraid that would be the end of it – but she had allowed him to keep using it – since, unlike so many other unruly students, she'd never had to shout at him to lower his voice. The only other person he'd told of his secret place was Lily.

"_Lumos_," Snape muttered and carefully leaned his wand against the back of the desk.

The placement of the window in this corner of the library only allowed light through when the sun was at a certain angle, and the lack of light was one of the reasons Lily didn't visit him here often. She said it was too dark, dreary and lonely. Lily didn't crave the privacy he sought with her. _In time she would, _Severus encouraged himself. _In time she would see he was powerful, strong, intelligent, and would keep her safe._

Snape almost thought he was dreaming when he found a pair of vivid green eyes staring at him. He gave a start, his breath taken away by surprise and her beauty. "Lily you startled me," he managed between gulps of stale air.

"We need to talk." Lily was not that type of person to avoid confrontation. Snape nodded. He'd learned to let her speak her mind when she was like this.

"I didn't even get to say goodnight to you last night," she began, crossing her arms. There wasn't a second chair so she had perched herself on the desk and he was desperately aware of how close her bare thigh was to his left hand (she wasn't wearing a robe, only a Muggle skirt).

His heart soared at her words; she'd missed him. They'd walked to Slughorns party together, but when Slughorn's special guests of the evening arrived, he'd made himself scarce – hiding among the Slytherins who had arrived with Regulus Black. Lucius Malfoy and his new bride, Narcissa would not take kindly to him being attentive toward a Muggleborn – even if she clearly had loads of magic and talent. He'd once ventured that maybe she'd been adopted and one of her real (probably dead) parents had been a witch or wizard. Lily hadn't spoken him for ten days after that. The problem was that if even a quarter of the rumors about who Lucius hung out with were true, Lucius would make a deadly enemy.

"James Potter was more cordial than you last night," she stated and the remark cut him like a knife.

_Because Potter had poured her punch? _Snape thought hotly.

All evening Snape had watched, at the corner of his eyes, Lily's every movement. He was almost certain Lily had laughed at something Potter had said. At least Potter's stay at the party had been short. Snape noticed with a bit of jealousy that Sirius Black was the first student Lucius had acknowledged. Every student knew Sirius was a blood traitor – he flaunted it for crying out loud. What use could Lucius see in someone so – well not talentless- but so dismissive of blood importance? At least Lucius had started the chain of events that had eventually caused Sirius to make a dramatic exit (everyone in the party had watched it unfold) – and Potter had left shortly after – those two were tied at the hip like two bloody girls. And Lucius had spoken to Snape after he'd made his rounds to all the pure-blooded students.

Lily was not done complaining about his behavior and her tirade ended on, "…I didn't expect to spend the entire party with you, _but_ you just abandoned me." Snape sat apprehensively. He'd never abandon her… he wanted to assure her and push her hair out of her eyes and maybe the other hand on her thigh…

"Sev! Well aren't you going to apologize?" She looked thunderous; at least she hadn't noticed his drooling.

"Sorry, Lily."

"Hmphf! You need new friends!'

"Exactly where would I find them? Potter and Black have turned anyone not in Slytherin against me!"

"You're being overdramatic. You just have to show people the real you. The you I know!"

"My friends – they tolerate the fact we are study partners-" (only for the fact they thought he was charming his way into her pants, which admittedly was a goal, no matter how unlikely) "- they are pure-bloods – pure-bloods that take blood seriously, you know what they are like but-"

"But what?"

"Study partners is one thing – but I didn't want them to get the wrong idea – I sleep in the same room with them – and my life would be horrible if they thought we were-"

"Not them too!" She looked all of sudden amused. He smiled unsurely. "Honestly!"

"What?" He'd been rambling so much that he'd lost track of his thoughts – and he couldn't figure out what she had deciphered.

"Can't a girl and a guy just be friends! I've known you for ages – before I even liked boys!" She blushed. "My friends are always trying to get me to admit that there's something romantic between us! So your friends think we are dating too?"

"Err- yes."

"I can understand that! My friends don't want me dating you either." She'd punched him below the belt the second time that evening.

"Good thing we aren't," Snape said wryly.

Lily laughed. "I'm glad that's cleared up!"

Snape nodded – he'd made-up with Lily – but his goal of getting her to see him as a potential boyfriend had dropped significantly.

"I'll leave you to your work. Dating? Ugh! Why can't everyone mind their own business!"

Lily jumped off the bench and disappeared in front of the empty bookshelf. She'd never understand that he needed the Slytherins to make him into a wizard she deserved.

* * *

Leathered gloved hands restrained him from behind. The air left his lungs and suddenly pain erupted like flames in his abdomen as the earth came rushing toward him. He would have fallen to his knees if it weren't for the rough hands holding him up and exposing his body for another deadly blow to the stomach. Groaning – dizziness and pain overtaking his brain. A hot breath laughed softly in his ear and he was slammed to the ground. He gulped for air – the muddy puddle his face had been smashed into obstructing his airway. He spluttered and the same person who was suffocating him in a deathly grip was breathing in his ear again. "This is what you get for saying no to the Dark Lord, Black. Filthy blood traitor."

Still kneeling with his arms pinned uncomfortably behind him, another figured grabbed at his hair, jerking his head up so that Sirius was forced to stare straight ahead; forced to stare straight at James. James surrounded by hooded figures. James who was disarmed, helpless, and more frightened than Sirius had ever seen him.

"_Crucio_!"

Sirius's screams drowned out his best friend's. Sirius fought his captor with all his strength, but he would have had better luck moving a mountain. And as he jerked his body he could feel his wand digging into his leg, desperately wishing he could somehow get his hands on it – but it was impossible. He didn't give up struggling as one by one the figures tortured his best friend right in front of his eyes. It was as if he was being tortured himself – worse knowing James was paying for his actions. All because he'd said no!

James endured the pain valiantly. But everyone had a breaking point – and a fifteen year old wizard would not last long. Already James was becoming listless. James was no longer standing up when the Death Eaters took a pause to laugh and taunt him.

Sirius thrashed again and he felt the grip of the brute lesson and he struggled and turned and almost rolled – out of bed?

Entangled in his red sheets, feeling the soft mattress beneath instead of the muddy ground – he still couldn't be sure he'd been dreaming. The evil laughter still ringing in his head, and his breathing so ragged that he was surprised it didn't awaken his roommates. The dream had been too real and vivid – almost as if implanted in his mind; which was possible, especially when you were the kind of witch or wizard who did not care about dabbling in the dark arts. He could have been cursed while arguing with Lelia or Regulus or Malfoy – or it could have been just an ordinary nightmare.

Breathing under control, Sirius could hear two voices enter the room. His senses were on alert when he realized one was distinctly female. Only one of his roommates had a girlfriend so it wasn't hard to deduce who it was. Then he heard the unmistakable sound of lips smacking together for a kiss. He grimaced and the noised continued. Derek Newbell had been in his bed when Sirius and James had tucked in. Derek must have snuck out later, which meant he might have learned a thing or two from the Marauders after living in the same room as them. The kissing noises continued and Sirius felt like he would be sick. As embarrassed as he felt having to hear this, he was ready to pretend to need to use the bathroom as a way to announce his presence –it would get them to stop if inevitably embarrass the couple. Finally they paused and Sirius heard the door click closed and Derek's mattress creak as he sat down on it.

Sirius must have fallen back asleep for he again woke up with a start and light was now streaming through his bed curtains. At least the sleep had been dreamless, and images of James being tortured weren't as fresh in his mind. James having heard Sirius stirring opened Sirius's bed curtains.

"No privacy," Sirius muttered, though he didn't care. He'd done the same thing to all of them. James gave Sirius a significant look. Their conversation last night had been very serious.

Sirius looked around. Peter was yawning and rubbing his eyes. Remus appeared – already dressed – his hair still wet from a recent bath. Derek and Terry were also up, and they both called 'Good Morning.'

Sirius smirked. "Good dreams last night, Derek?" Derek turned slightly pink, but he looked confused.

"How was the party?" Peter asked. Peter wasn't above living vicariously through his popular friends.

James paused a second and Sirius tensed. He didn't want to have _this _conversation with Derek and Terry in the room. "Quite boring actually. You didn't miss much, Peter."

"A party that you two attended _boring_?" Remus asked in disbelief.

Sirius had begun dressing into his day robes. On weekends they were allowed to wear what they wanted, except they were required to be in uniform for Sunday dinner.

"And you didn't liven it up?" Remus continued.

"Shocker, eh?" James answered, grinning broadly. Remus smiled, but only half-heartedly because he was now looking with concern at Sirius.

"Did you dance with Evans?" Peter asked eagerly oblivious to anything else, but the fact he had James's attention.

"There wasn't much dancing," James admitted, "but we chatted – some."

"You should definitely ask her out," Peter said with encouragement.

"Maybe I will," James said carelessly.

"You're being quiet, Sirius," Remus said.

"Still tired," Sirius mumbled and because he was avoiding looking at his friend he missed the pointed look Remus sent James, who shrugged.

"If you are that tired, maybe we should postpone the prank set-up for tonight," Remus said with an innocent air.

"Nice try, prefect," Sirius said smiling. "I'm not _that _tired. I just need food. Breakfast?"

After spending a good hour in the Great Hall, James went to Quidditch practice. And when Sirius declined the invitation to come along, Peter had jumped at the opportunity to be the better friend. This left Remus and Sirius to head to Gryffindor Tower together and when Remus mentioned they work on a Charms essay, Sirius readily agreed. Remus must have found his agreement so quickly peculiar, but he let it go. Before Sirius knew it, James and Peter returned – both red in the cheeks.

"You got Sirius to do homework?" Peter asked in astonishment. Sirius had just been rolling up his essay.

"Must be his prefect powers," James said wisely.

"Oh shut up," Remus said mildly and Sirius rolled his eyes.

After James showered, they had lunch and headed outside. The weather was getting cooler, but with the sun out it was pleasant enough with just a cloak on. Perhaps being a prefect did give Remus secret powers because he'd dragged along additional homework and somehow tricked them into working on it. Sirius found himself staring at Remus's Transfiguration book open in his hands, while James and Peter both scoured Remus's meticulous notes for answers. And Remus, quill in hand, patiently plodding them through the fifty one-word answer questions. Perhaps it was a good thing; the teachers had been loading them with homework and with a prank to setup, they didn't want to waste Sunday night on homework.

As they were popular, various groups of students stopped for a chat. Some of them just curious about what they were doing and all disappointed to find it was as mundane as homework. Mary and Catherine stopped by for a chat. They were concerned because Lily had come back from Slughorn's party very putt out. James couldn't really help them since he had left the party so early, but it didn't stop him from having the smallest glimmer of hope it was because of his absence.

The evening was spent in the crowded Gryffindor common room. Sirius, James and Peter had to copy down the Transfiguration answers in their own handwriting. And James and Peter despite ragging on Sirius for spending the morning doing homework with Remus, now were both grumbling as they wrote the Charms essay. Sirius noted Evans glance furtively at James a few times that night – though Sirius had a feeling it was because the four of them were so quiet and well-behaved most of the evening.

Catherine Pierce and Anita Knight beckoned Sirius over to join their group. Lily Evans, Mary McDonald, and Jamie Morgan were chatting with Terry and Derek. Both girls flirted heavily with Sirius and he allowed it – if nothing else it made the time go quickly. Catherine and Anita were the last of the Gryffindors to go to bed that night, except for the Marauders.

"I didn't think they'd every leave," Peter said.

"Could you have turned down the charm a little?" James asked.

"What? They were flirting with me. I – there was nothing to do about it," Sirius protested as his mates snickered.

"Anyway let's get down to business," James commanded. The set-up was the most dangerous – well dangerous in that they were most likely to be caught.

"We need to split up," James continued. "Too bad we don't have a second cloak."

"We'll just take turns with the cloak," Remus said.

"It would take longer," Sirius pointed out.

"But much safer. How about Sirius and I do the Dungeons," Remus volunteered.

"Fine," Sirius agreed. James and Peter nodded.

"You and James," Remus stated looking at Sirius, "can do the ground floor. Then James and Peter the first floor."

"All right," James said passing over the cloak and bag of leaves to Remus and Sirius.

Remus's carefulness turned out to be a savior. If they had not been under the cloak, Sirius and James would have been caught on the ground floor by Professor Keenan. And Peeves would have most likely made a raucous if he had discovered James and Peter when they did their floor together.

No real problems occurred, but they hadn't exactly been able to test the charms on a real life setting, so none of them were hundred percent certain any of it would go off. Waiting for James and Peter to return from their run, Sirius began second guessing if he'd done one of the charms in the Dungeons correctly. Had he added an extra wand jab? And if he had what would be the result of it?

Peter and James returned with smiles having had a successful mission. It had been decided that next morning that Remus and Peter would leave the Great Hall about five minutes before Sirius and James. This way Remus and Peter could supervise the first floor and Sirius and James the first floor. Since on Monday mornings they did not have Potions first period, it would look too suspicious for them to be there, even though it meant missing the Slytherins' humiliation first hand.

Since a young age Sirius had it drilled into him to always show coolness and indifference, so he had the easiest time acting as if were an ordinary Monday morning with only classes to look forward to. Never the less, all four boys awoke earlier than usual and were chirpier as they dressed, but Derek and Terry, who were used to their roommates odd behavior didn't comment.

Breakfast was hearty and delicious.

"Peter, stop looking guilty," hissed Sirius.

"Sorry," Peter said flushing and scooping egg into his mouth. Remus looked a bit pale, but students were used to that. Full moon was approaching, so Sirius couldn't be sure what was the true cause of that.

Around the time most students were leaving, Remus and Peter told James and Sirius (in loud enough voices that students near them could hear) that they need to stop in the Tower before first class.

The two Gryffindor boys waited patiently; Sirius less patiently than James. At least being paired with James made it easy for Sirius to act natural, and it would have looked suspicious if they had split up.

James and Sirius stood up, both still talking and joking. With casualness students admired and envied, strolled out of the Great Hall. The prank unfolded as smoothly as recited poetry. For all the times everything that could go wrong did go wrong; today the tides of fate had turned their way.

Just as scheduled bubbles descended on a group of first years. Enchanted, the children hopped around trying to pop the bubbles. At first they giggled in delight when the bubbles multiplied instead of disappearing – until it all went out of control. Faster than even James and Sirius had expected they were surrounded – the whole hallway from top to bottom – just as they had magically outlined. There was a mixture of amusement and panicked voices as the sounds flitted toward them. It sounded as if a few girls were screaming on the second floor, and only then did Sirius think how much less frightening the bubbles were than being buried in leaves or feathers. One of the charms Remus had found did assure them that no one would suffocate even when buried beneath the leaves or feathers.

"Mr. Black? Mr. Potter? Are you boys all right?"

The outline of Professor Keenan could just be made out. He was painstakingly moving through the bubbles –having quickly noted spells would do nothing and he could only displace them.

"Yes," Sirius and James said solemnly together.

Professor McGonagall was right behind Keenan. "Please tell me you two are not responsible for this mayhem?"

"I doubt they are," Keenan interjected before they could respond. "It is an advanced bit of magic for a full grown wizard and practically impossible for fifth years."

"You don't know these two," McGonagall argued, sternly gazing at the duo. At least it was hard with the bubbles in the way for her to see their faces clearly.

"Clever as they are – these charms would have to be stacked, which as you know Professor is very difficult magic."

McGonagall let it go, but she kept a close eye on them, so they made sure to mimic the other students' reactions. It took about fifteen minutes, but the two teachers rounded the twenty students in that hallway to the center and calmed the younger students. McGonagall sent a silvery image out of her wand, and moments later another silvery image of a bird returned. The silver bird spoke. _Dungeon corridor is blocked with leaves. Feathers have filled first floor corridor. Two fourth years appear to be having an allergic reaction to the feathers. Medical assistance may be required._

James cast Sirius a worried look. It would not be good if a student was hurt because that could cause an official investigation and the Ministry had clearance to check all wands to see the prior spells cast. They knew the feathers, leaves, and bubbles would all vanish in an hour, but without the counterword it would take the teachers probably just as long to figure how to stop it. They were being watched closely, so James and Sirius were not inclined to whisper the counterword on their floor. And anyway everyone on their floor was holding up ok, especially when everyone could clearly hear the start of first period bells go off. Sirius hoped Remus would be sensible enough to clear his floor with the counterword, so this way the fourth years could get medical attention in they needed it.

About 12 minutes later they received another message from the same silvery bird informing them that the first floor had been cleared and the two allergic students were recovering in the Hospital Wing. Sirius and James breathed a sigh of relief.

To the dot, an hour from when it had all begun, one of the students accidently touched a bubble and it popped! Quickly all the students, including Professor Keenan and Professor McGonagall were hurriedly popping through the hallway and let out cries of joy when they could see the stairs that led to the first floor. Professor Keenan headed in the opposite direction toward the Dungeons to see what was going on there, while McGonagall began ordering the more distressed students to the Hospital Wing. Though McGonagall was busy, one of her eyes stayed trained on James and Sirius – and when she announced no one could leave without first being looked over by her - they knew they couldn't leave the scene.

Peter and Remus showed up with a group of students, still picking feathers off their clothes. Then with Professor Keenan leading them, the students caught in the Dungeons (all Slytherins to the boys' delight) trampled up the stairs, including almost all those who had attacked them weeks ago. And they were _still_ covered in leaves. The leaves around the students had disappeared, but any of the leaves touching something including walls, ceilings, and people had stuck. Unable to stop themselves, the four Gryffindors erupted in laughter, and the other students joined them quickly enough.

"How'd you make it do that?" whispered James between gasps of laughter.

"I don't know," Sirius admitted, surprised that the extra jab would have altered the magic that much.

McGonagall, Keenan, and Flitwick (who had been on the first floor during it all) attempted to clean off the Slytherins, but it was futile. So a few of them were taken to the Hospital Wing to have a further look to see if Madam Pomfrey could be of aid, and the rest sent back to their common room.

Professor McGonagall still was convinced they were responsible and they were sent up to her office for fifteen minutes of highly unpleasant accusations and questions. Between Remus's insistence none of them had left the Tower last night, Peter still looking spooked from the event, and lack of real evidence, McGonagall was forced to see their innocence. A good portion of the school had heard about the accusations so when they returned without punishment, it cleared their name and started mass speculation about the real culprits.

Sirius helped this all along. Returning from McGonagall's office, Sirius entered the common room with a dramatic flair and pierced his way though a group of girls where Mary McDonald, the school gossip sat. "Look what I nicked off McGonagall's desk." He waved a piece of paper in front of the eager girls' faces.

"What?" they chorused.

"Nicked?" Lily Evans demanded crossly.

"She's read it already, Evans," Sirius said with a carefree wave. He had every eye in the common room on him. "It's a confession!"

Sirius cleared his throat and read the 'confession'. "We take full and complete responsibility of today's mischief. Undersigned, The Marauders."

He firmly placed the sheet of paper on the table.

"The Marauders?" Mary said and Sirius burned with pride.

"The Marauders," he repeated with emphasis. "True heroes."

"You should give this back," Remus said quickly. "The note might have been evidence."

At that precise moment the note burst into fiery flames (everyone around the note jumped back) leaving only a pile of ashes. It was enough to start the rumor mills that day, even with classes cancelled and most of the Slytherins confined in their common room still covered in leaves.

The mysterious Marauders were famous, and better yet McGonagall's questioning of them seemed to have done them a favor. By the time the Slytherins were leaf-free – the next morning- it had been stoutly established that a new group of pranksters – perhaps rivals of the four Gryffindor boys were now at Hogwarts. It was thrilling to hear girls gush over them and guys complain about all the girls gushing over them. They all walked with an extra bounce in their step. The prank had succeeded beyond their expectations.

* * *

A few nights later, the school was still a buzz about the prank – Sirius, James, Remus and Peter toasted privately to the Marauders. Terry and Derek said they would be at the library until curfew, so they had at least two hours of guaranteed privacy. The boys chatted for awhile, but eventually they all quieted lost in their own thoughts. Remus had closed his eyes exhausted because full moon was so close.

For most of the week Sirius had been able to keep his thoughts away from Lucius Malfoy's offer, but Malfoy would be expecting to hear from him soon, and ignoring it wouldn't make it go away.

"_Levicorpus_!"

"Ahhh!" Sirius cried as the room turned upside down and James was on his bed laughing hysterically. "What on earth, James?"

"I've just remembered this spell! Remember when the Slytherins attacked us, well I heard Lestrange do this spell on Peter. Neat, right?"

"Brilliant," Sirius agreed. James waved his wand and Sirius fell back on his bed. Not to be outdone, Sirius sent the same spell flying back at his best friend and then another at Peter.

"Ahhh," Peter cried.

"Should have seen that coming, huh?" James said with his glasses sliding down this face, grinning happily.

Sirius nodded and let James down with a flick of his wrist.

"Let me down," Peter said his face flushed.

"Oh, right," Sirius said and Peter fell down on his bed not looking as amused as James. Sirius and James were already eying the last member of their group.

"Don't even think about it," muttered Remus with his eyes still shut. Full moon was only days away and Remus always grew more testy around this time.

"Ah – come on – it's cool hanging upside down," Sirius said twirling the wand in his hand. "You need a laugh."

"No, I need quiet before I dock all of Gryffindors points because of you lot!"

"Oh stop being so moody," James said, not taking the threat seriously.

"Not moody!" Sirius stated excitedly, suddenly sitting forward. "_Moony! _He needs to stop being _moony_!"

* * *

So now that you've read it, leave me a review!


	14. Full Moon

Remus Lupin paused behind the column in the courtyard. He spied the Head Girl, Joanne Finn in the spattering of students. Tonight it was the first full moon of the semester and the first time Remus would miss a prefect meeting and his patrol because of it. Remus couldn't shake his nervousness of approaching Finn. He'd woken up with a headache from a restless night of sleep. Having to speak with Finn hadn't kept him awake; anticipation and worry about his Animagus friends joining him this evening had. His muscles ached; he was tired and moody – all the usual symptoms he was used to, which only aggravated the situation. It was his own fault for waiting until today to give Finn the note. The note (signed by his Head of House and the Headmaster) had been in his possession for a few days.

Finn was still suspicious that Remus was looking the other way while his friends ran wild. So far most of the rules his friends had broken, Remus had been a part of and he did feel guilty about that. At least he had written up other students, which he hoped showed that he was doing his job. T

Remus took a step forward. Finn was chatting with two boys who were both vying for her attention. Remus cleared his throat. "Finn, can I speak with you?"

A flicker of annoyance crossed Finn's face, but she shooed the two boys away.

"Yes, Lupin. What can I do for you?"

Remus paused.

"And please get it out before you faint."

"I- I will be missing tonight's meeting," Remus began as Finn watched him coolly, "and my patrol."

"That is convenient."

"Sorry?"

"We were going to discuss the hallways' attack in the meeting tonight."

"Oh," Remus replied.

"You were one of the few prefects to witness it."

"I already told Professor McGonagall all I saw," Remus said quickly.

"Yes, well sometimes on further thought you might have seen or known more than you thought."

"I don't think so."

"So why are you missing the meeting and patrolling? Are your duties hindering your social life?"

"I have a note." Remus held it outward and Finn snatched it out of his hand. She opened it up and read it over in a scrutinizing manner. "Personal reasons, eh?"

"Yes."

"McGonagall's and Dumbledore's signatures? Very impressive, Lupin. Then again that old fool has always been soft on Gryffindors."

"So – well – is it all ok, then?"

"First of all, I don't care about your personal reasons – but I do care when a prefect misses one of my meetings. You'll patrol double next week, is that understood?"

Remus probably should have protested, but he was starting to feel really dizzy and he was not in any condition to fight her at the moment. "Yes. Fine." He wanted to get out of there, and either straight to his bed or the Hospital Wing.

"As long as you understand."

Remus nodded, hobbling away from Finn as fast as possible. He was going back to his dorm, even though the Hospital Wing was closer, he didn't want to have to deal with Madam Pomprey. The nurse meant well, but he had enough over protectiveness from his own mother.

* * *

"Hey Moony," Sirius said as James and he appeared from underneath the invisibility cloak. Peter in his Animagus form was on James's shoulder.

"Hello," Remus replied weakly. He was already in the Shrieking Shack. There was about an hour until the full moon and Remus was in a bad state. Remus didn't like the idea of his friends seeing him like this – pale, ill, and weak.

"How are you feeling?" James asked.

Remus grunted, feeling he might throw up if he actually opened his mouth. Peter transformed back into his human self. Remus closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

"Everything is set. You don't have to worry about anything," James explained.

Remus felt the knot in his stomach tighten. _Not worry? _Like that would happen.

"Even though we know you'll worry anyway," Sirius chimed in. Remus smiled.

"Maybe we should go upstairs instead," Peter suggested looking at Remus with worry.

Remus shook his head. He'd spent considerable time thinking of the safest way for them to go about the first meeting between the werewolf and his friends in Animagus form.

"Peter," Sirius chided, "we stick to the original plan. We promised Remus."

Remus had made them swear to follow the plan he'd come up with; the plan they had agreed on. His friends were famous for bending the rules, so it was always in the back of Remus's mind that something would go wrong.

"I didn't mean…I…he looks like he'll fall over if he takes one step!" Peter rambled looking pink in the face.

"We'll help him up the stairs," James said stepping closer to Remus and he motioned for Sirius to go to Remus's other side. Remus felt ridiculous having to lean on his friends, but he wouldn't have been able to get to the second floor without them.

Upstairs, Remus plopped onto one of the torn couches, though not as bad in shape as the ones downstairs. He glanced toward the window, but he couldn't see outside. All the windows for his safety as well as the townspeople had been boarded up. It was for the better. In this mind he could imagine the full moon well enough.

"You should start setting it up," Remus told James and Sirius. His friends nodded looking worried and uncharacteristically quiet. _Was it possible they were as nervous about this as he was?_

"See you soon," Sirius said and James gave him a quick smile. Remus could feel his bones beginning to ache and stretch – it wouldn't be long now…

* * *

Having seen Remus safely upstairs, James and Sirius set to work on the plan. James began by tying a rope to the doorknob and pulling it tightly. Then James tied the other end of the rope to the leg of a heavy dresser that was nearby. Werewolves were impervious to most magic, so to protect themselves incase something went go wrong, they were relying on Muggle ways. Sirius did add a Strengthening Spell to the rope for extra precaution. It was true that James and Sirius were risk takers, but neither of them wanted to gamble when it came to facing a werewolf. They had done enough research on werewolves over the years to know not many wizards faced a werewolf lived to tell the tale without becoming a werewolf themselves.

Sirius snapped the lock on the door closed and tugged at it. The rope held. "Should be good enough," Sirius stated with a shrug.

"Should?" Peter squeaked. Peter was starting to look as peaky as Remus.

"It will hold," James insisted. "Or long enough for us to make an escape if we need, especially you in rat form, Peter."

Peter didn't look comforted by the words. Sirius didn't like the idea of Peter – anymore than Peter did- being the first to test their assumption that werewolves would treat Animagus just like any other animals. Sirius would have preferred it to be himself or James, but Peter had the smallest form and that was why Remus had insisted it would be him. They had found two cracks in the wall – one on the bottom floor and the other on the second floor. Peter would be able to travel through the walls into the room where the werewolf would be waiting. He would then scamper over to the werewolf and well they would see from there…

If things didn't go well, Peter would easily be able in his small form run back to the hole (most likely even a werewolf wouldn't find one small rat a worthwhile meal) and alert James and Sirius. James in animal form (his antlers would serve as a good defense) and Sirius still in human form. They after all needed someone with opposable thumbs to open the door to the outside if they did need to make a quick exit.

If things did go as planned, Peter would still run back downstairs. He would signal to his friends that the werewolf had not tried to attack him or acted in an aggressive manner. Next, Sirius would quickly un-lock the door and then change into his own Animagus form. There was a danger in Sirius staying in human form – his smell could agitate the werewolf – but according to Remus there was no way around this. Peter would gnaw the rope and then they'd wait for the werewolf to make its way down the stairs. If the werewolf needed persuading Sirius could fit up the stairs, as well as Peter. James with his antlers was too large.

Sirius took a seat and watched James pace back and forth, every so often tugging at the rope. Then suddenly they heard a terrible scream and a high-pitched howl. It was time.

"Are you ready, Peter?" Sirius asked. Peter had a determined look on his face and in answer he transformed. Sirius turned to James to find a stag blinking at him. Sirius swallowed as he heard growling and grunting above him. _How quickly would Moony smell his presence? _Sirius watched as Peter disappeared into the hole in the wall feeling a thrilling shiver run up his spine.

* * *

Snape watched the blue smoke rise from the cauldron. He stirred the blue liquid counterclockwise three times. Snape was almost finished for tonight, the potion needed to simmer for five more minutes and then cool so he could bottle it.

Snape had set-up this mini-potion lab in an abandoned classroom on the second floor. It was now past curfew, and he was worried about sneaking back to the Dungeons without getting caught. He knew Lily would be one of the prefects on patrol and she was under the impression he didn't do things like sneak out, like Potter and Black always did. Snape just rarely got caught.

It was imperative he work on the love potion tonight as the last part of the potion required it be simmered during a full moon. Leila was already riding on him about taking so long and he did not want to have to tell her she needed to wait until the next moon cycle.

The potion cooled and Snape carefully bottled it. It was now ready to give to Leila, and he knew Leila was eager to use it soon. Severus opened one of the closets in the classroom and stashed the cauldron and some ingredients inside of it. He used a charm to clean up the area he'd been using. Then he carefully placed the bottle (with an anti-breaking charm on it) in the inside pocket of his robe. He quietly opened the door and peaked his head around. Snape listened for footsteps or other noises, but it appeared quiet. Closing the creaky door behind him, he began walking.

He managed to get to the ground floor without running into prefects. He could hear two students laughing and talking far too loudly and carelessly after curfew not to be prefects. Snape recognized one of the voices and he edged to spot Lily. She, however, wasn't patrolling with Lupin as she should have been. Lily had been paired up with a Hufflepuff fifth year prefect and she looked quite enthralled by the conversation.

_Where was Lupin?_ Snape usually kept a close eye on Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew - except for this morning. Lupin had been in the morning class Gryffindors shared with Slytherins as far as Snape recalled. He couldn't be certain when Lupin had disappeared, as they did not share any afternoon classes on that particular day. So nothing had changed this year; Lupin was still mysteriously disappearing as he had all the previous years. Maybe this year Severus would figure out where he went. Only tonight his only concern was getting safely back to the Dungeons without having the love potion confiscated.

Madam Pomfrey jerked awake by a noise. She was sitting at her desk in her small office. She must have fallen back asleep after having retrieved Lupin from the Shrieking Shack. She listened carefully wondering what had woken her up, but all was silent. Madam Pomfrey sighed. She remembered how scared she'd been of meeting Remus Lupin for the first time – only to be confronted by a small, shy, polite eleven-year-old boy. She'd grown to care for the boy over the years, having to nurse and mend his wounds.

Now that he was a teenager, Lupin's transformations were terrible and unbearable, not that it had ever been a walk in the park. She could see the toll they took before and after the boy's transformation.

There was a noise again and Madam Pomfrey was sure she heard voices. _Had she forgotten to lock the Hospital Wing door? Remus_ Lupin was her only patient for the night.

She sat still listening carefully, but no longer heard anything. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. It had been an odd early morning. Madam Pomfrey had gotten in the habit of picking up Lupin from the Shrieking Shack in the early morning, as soon as possible after he turned back into his human form. Lupin was usually in such bad shape – bleeding and bruised that it was important he receive medical attention swiftly. Only this morning there had been no bleeding – the cuts so shallow that they had healed quickly, and his bruising had been significantly less. Madam Pomfrey couldn't understand it. Over the last few years Lupin's transformations had gotten more and more awful, and the boy was still smack in the middle of his teenage years and there was no reason at all for it to change all of sudden.

Madam Pomfrey jumped to her feet. Now she distinctly heard laughter. She wrenched the door open silently. The next thing she saw gave her pause. Lupin, who was half sitting up leaning against two pillows piled up, was laughing! James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew (she knew those three boys well with all the shenanigans they got up to) surrounded him, grinning at their mate. Madam Pomfrey couldn't believe it. She would have never suspected Lupin having enduring a painful transformation merely hours previously would actually look so cheery. The boys had obviously snuck in and she didn't approve, but Lupin looked happy. She sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall. She'd give them another fifteen minutes and then she'd chase them out.

* * *

His friends returned that afternoon just as they had promised. Madam Pomfrey looked a little exasperated to see them again so quickly after their morning visit.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" the nurse had asked.

"This is our free period. Can't we spend it with Remus?" Sirius asked smiling charmingly.

"He needs his rest."

"I'm fine," Remus interjected. "I'm tired of resting."

"Don't make too much noise," Madam Pomfrey warned.

"Remus is the only one here," James said waving his hand around the empty room.

"At the moment, but this is the Hospital Wing and noise will be kept to a minimum or I will kick you out."

"We'll behave," Sirius said; his charming smile turning now into a cheeky grin.

"How was class?" Remus asked stifling a yawn because Madam Pomfrey wasn't completely out of the room yet. He was sure she'd chase his mates out sooner if she suspected he needed another nap.

"Boring," James said.

"We reviewed mostly," Peter told Remus. "I thought it was helpful."

"At least I didn't miss much," Remus said quietly. It was stressful making up all the missed work after a full moon. He wasn't as naturally gifted in his studies as James and Sirius. Schoolwork did come easier to him than Peter, but Remus had to work hard to get his high marks.

"So Moony," Sirius began.

"Still with the nickname?" Remus said. "You aren't planning on using it when we are among other people, are you?"

"I was," answered Sirius. When Remus made a face, Sirius demanded, "Why not?"

"What if someone figures out what I am by that?"

"Come on! Half of Hogwarts is too thick to figure it out if they tried and the other half doesn't care where you go to once a month."

Remus rolled his eyes. "I shouldn't be the only one with a nickname then. Let's see Sirius you can be Dogbreath."

"Hey!" Sirius cried indignantly.

"James can be Antlerhead," Remus continued, ignoring Sirius.

"Very funny," James muttered.

"And Peter – um – can be Wormtail!"

Peter opened his mouth to protest. "Actually I don't mind that," Peter replied with a smile.

"Dogbreath? Really? No girl will want to snog me."

"Such a tragedy, Dogbreath," Remus said with mock sympathy.

James and Peter were trying not to laugh.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked.

"Why would I want something?" Remus replied.

"You know in exchange from never calling me _that_ in public."

"Oh!" Remus looked surprised for a moment. He had been only teasing. That name would never leave the room, but he was a Marauder and if Sirius was offering this exchange he wasn't going to pass it up. "Well – you have to cheer for Slytherin team during Gryffindors first match against them!"

Sirius looked slightly taken aback.

"First match isn't until November," James reminded him.

"Oh – right," Remus said frowning.

"Too bad! I would have paid to see that," Peter exclaimed.

Remus wasn't usually good on thinking on the spot. There had been countless times when he'd gotten tongue tied speaking to someone, only to think of a clever response an hour later. "I don't know then."

"You can't just let him off," Peter protested.

The room quieted as Remus sat thinking. "I know…you have to let me catch you breaking a rule!"

"You want me to break a rule?" Sirius asked skeptically.

"Yes with lots of students there – preferably other prefects and maybe even the Headgirl- and not only will you allow me to reprimand you; you'll have to actually look like you feel sorry and guilty."

Sirius grinned. "Ok. I can manage that, _Moony_."

"Good to hear, _Dogbreath_."

* * *

It isn't the longest chapter, but I wanted to end on a lighter note, so I'm waiting to add the other part I was planning to have in this chapter for the beginning of the next one. Review!


	15. Professor Keenan

**[EDIT: I noticed two mistakes in this chapter. Victoria's boyfriend is Hufflepuff and Sirius has told his friends about the arranged marriage. I just changed those two things. Nothing important to overall plot is different]**

**An update! I know it has been a long time. One good thing is I have pre-written some of the very pivotal parts of the story. Enjoy the chapter!**

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James and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team filtered into the common room. James joined his friends on the couches. Victoria Dekker was sitting on the love seat with Sirius, so James joined Remus and Peter on the larger couch.

"First Hogsmeade visit is in three weeks," Victoria told James.

"Great," James answered and then his eyes narrowed. "You're still going out with that Hufflepuff?"

"I am," Victoria said grinning. "Who are you going to ask Sirius?"

The unattached females in the room who were situated close enough to eavesdrop, listened hopefully.

Sirius shrugged. "I'll probably go stag." He met James's eyes with a smirk at the word stag. Victoria noticed but she didn't question it. The boys were notorious for their secrets.

"You would dare deny Hogwarts female population the chance to be seen on your arm?" Remus asked in mock disbelief.

James, Peter, and Victoria erupted into laughter. Sirius just gave Remus a cool look. "Well if the right girl asked me…"

"Like Leila Yaxley?" James commented.

"What?" Sirius asked, bewildered. Sirius hadn't mentioned Leila to any of his friends for awhile and it unsettled him to hear James bring her up.

"I know she's a Slytherin. Is that the reason you're pretending not to like her? She is pretty enough…"

"Pretty enough? Is that all that matters!" Victoria asked hotly.

"It isn't the only thing," James said defensively.

Victoria glared at James and turned to Sirius. "I didn't know you liked Yaxley."

"I don't," Sirius answered.

"Oh!" Victoria's face brightened. "I was wondering why Yaxley was looking at me so crossly when I hugged you at Slug Club party. It makes sense now."

"That's right," James agreed. "I'd forgotten I saw you talking with her at the party."

Of course James and Sirius had much more important matters to discuss after the party than girls.

"I told her to get lost, I'll have you know," Sirius stated tersely.

Suddenly one of Victoria's friends, Hayley Madison, appeared in front of them. She was holding a tray with small glasses filled with an amber liquid in them. "Thirsty?"

"What do you have there?" James asked.

Madison lowered her voice. "Elf wine. Nicked it from my Uncle – he has such a large stash I knew he wouldn't miss it. It's expensive-" She faltered as her eyes took in the prefect badge on Remus's robe. The four of them were so well known as troublemakers; students readily forgot one of them was now a prefect.

"Don't worry about him," Sirius said and he went to reach for one of the cups. Remus raised his eyebrows coolly, but said nothing.

Madison batted Sirius's hand away. "I'll hand them out," she insisted. Sirius was the last to be served, and he didn't notice that his glass – with the gold rim- was remarkably different from the others. The six of them clinked glasses and downed them quickly.

Sirius could tell there was something off about the wine as the bitter-sweet taste ran down his throat. He didn't want to be rude, but he was pretty sure the wine wasn't as expensive as Madison had thought. Victoria helped her friend clear the glasses and left with her to join the others in her year.

The wine wasn't settling well in Sirius's stomach, and the few times he'd closed his eyes, Leila Yaxley's face swam into his mind – which he chalked up to his friends having brought her up; not because of the wine. Sirius excused himself to bed early that night hoping that a good night's sleep was all he needed.

* * *

Leila Yaxley was awake very early the next morning. She slipped out of the common room to head toward the Owlery; an envelope with a considerable amount of money was in her bag. She didn't want any of her dorm mates questioning why she was using a school owl and not her own. It was imperative that no one would be able to trace her as the supplier of the elf wine to Hayley Madison. She had picked Hayley for three reasons. She was in Gryffindor, she was dirt poor (so she might be willing to do unethical things for money), and she was a friend of Victoria Dekker so it wouldn't look so out of the ordinary for her to approach Sirius.

Hayley Madison had accomplished the task much more quickly than Leila had expected and she felt jittery waiting for the moment she would see Sirius. Of course it wasn't as if Sirius would run over to her and declare his love. The potion she had chosen would have a much more subtle effect.

* * *

Sirius woke up feeling better and he assumed he had slept off the bad wine. He had casually asked his friends if they had noticed anything 'off' about the wine, but none of them had. Then again he doubted any of them had tasted a wide array of Elf wine to know how it should taste.

At breakfast in the Great Hall, the strangest thing began to happen. Every time he picked his head up his eyes would suddenly be drawn to exactly where Leila Yaxley was sitting. As long as he kept his eyes downcast it wasn't problem, but the moment he tried to look anywhere else or towards anyone, he found himself staring at Leila. It was silly to even think, but it was as if he had no control over it – but that wasn't possible. It made him feel uncomfortable and even a bit sick to his stomach. James bringing up Leila last night had probably just messed with his head.

Sirius did not tell any of his friends what was occurring and unfortunately it continued happening throughout the day. He began dreading any moment he was near Leila Yaxley. So far his friends had not noticed his sudden fascination with the girl, but it was only a matter of time. To top if off Leila seemed to be plagued by the same spell. She was staring at him the entire day.

In an attempt to get his mind of Leila Yaxley, Sirius brought up to Remus their agreement they had reached the other day.

"You want to do it now?" Remus asked.

"Why not?" Sirius countered.

Remus glanced around the courtyard. They were on their afternoon break and there were certainly enough witnesses around. There were even in the company of a few prefects from other houses.

"So who should be my victim?" Sirius asked his mates looking around at the students. "Boy or girl?"

"Girl," Peter said.

"Boy," James answered.

Remus rolled his eyes. "This doesn't have to be a production, you know."

"How about Bertram Aubrey? I never liked him."

"He's also a prefect. I don't think that's a good idea. He'll yell at you plenty and I'm supposed to be the one yelling," remarked Remus.

"How about Aubrey's friend? The one with the blond hair?"

"Phillip Aston?" Remus supplied.

"If you say so."

Remus sighed. "Go ahead."

"Now what hex should I use?"

"Just do it, Dogbreath," Remus muttered.

"Had to say it one more time, didn't you?" Sirius asked and Remus grinned.

Sirius extracted himself from the group and made his way casually closer to where Aubrey and Aston were conversing with some other Ravenclaws. Their backs were turned to Sirius, which meant they wouldn't see him approaching or casting the spell, which was perfect. Aston was holding a cup of something and Sirius knew this could be used to his advantage.

Sirius slipped his hand around his wand and sent a spell straight at Aston. There was a scream from Lorrain Thomas (female Ravenclaw prefect). Aston's arms had turned into octopus tentacles and the unknown liquid inside the cup had drenched her. The group of Ravenclaws immediately turned around their gazes fixating onto Sirius, though he had already pocketed his wand.

"Sirius!" Remus called angrily marching toward him. "Detention!"

"What?" Sirius asked looking bewildered. "For what?"

Remus gestured toward Aston, whose arms were wiggling all over the place.

"I didn't-"

"Don't try to deny it! I saw you! Turn his arms back."

Sirius crossed his arms defiantly.

"Now." The coldness in Remus's voice impressed Sirius.

Sirius withdrew his wand again and with a flick of the wrist Aston had his arms back and Aston was apologizing profusely to Lorraine who looked ticked off at still being wet. Remus did not instruct Sirius to do a Drying spell on the girl and Sirius certainly wasn't going to offer to do it.

"I think you should keep this one on a leash, Lupin," Aubrey said condescendingly.

Sirius felt his temper rise and James who had joined them tensed up behind him.

"Next time I'll let your _friend_ figure out the counter spell," Remus said coolly. "Let's go see McGonagall, Sirius."

"I'll be checking to see Black actually serves his detention," Aubrey called after them.

"Fancy bit of Transfiguration there," James commented as the four of them walked away.

"Show-off," Peter muttered only loud enough for Remus to hear.

Sirius saw nothing wrong with showing off his talent while getting into trouble. That always seemed to annoy their teachers the most; how advanced their spell work was even though it was usually to make trouble. "It was nothing. So Moony have I paid my dues?"

Remus swatted him.

"Come on," Sirius said. "Your nickname isn't that bad. And I think we all should have nicknames – just not – you know what."

"Nor Antlerhead," James jumped in.

"Right. Moony and Wormtail are both adequate. Now we just have to think of something more – more suave - for James and me."

"Suave?" Remus asked laughing and Peter snickered.

"I'll think it over in detention tonight," Sirius stated.

* * *

Professor Keenan watched the teenager in front of him carefully. The boy shifted in his chair and then began tapping.

"No tapping, please," Professor Keenan instructed. The boy stopped, though not without rolling his eyes.

Professor Keenan could understand that the boy was antsy. Sirius Black had been in many detentions, but he wouldn't be used to being required to sit there without anything to do. Detention at Hogwarts generally required some form of labor or lines, so he'd thrown Sirius a curveball.

Technically McGonagall should have been overseeing Sirius's detention. McGonagall having sat through more detentions with Black than any teacher should have to, gladly had taken his offer. Sirius had been caught by one of his friends (Lupin) transfiguring another students arms into tentacles. Though McGonagall had not expressed to Sirius (as to not encourage the lad), she had expressed to Keenan that should had been impressed by the boy's ability.

Keenan had promised Dumbledore he would watch over the boy; and so far he had failed dismally at getting Sirius to trust him. It was clear that Sirius regarded authority figures with general mistrust, so to an extent it wasn't Keenan's fault. And Keenan hadn't taken the teaching position for the purpose of keeping on eye on students; and in a way Professor Dumbledore had tricked him into exactly that. How could he in good conscience say no to the possibility of helping a boy – so like his own brother? To save the boy from himself? If someone had been there for his brother, things might have ended differently.

Keenan remembered the conversation with Dumbledore;

"I have a favor to ask you, Mr. Keenan."

"A favor?" Keenan had already accepted the teaching position for Defense Against the Dark Arts and it sounded as if he was about to find out the fine print that came along with the job.

"You have heard about the man who goes by the name Lord Voldemort?"

Keenan had nodded.

"There is a rumor – more than a rumor – that Voldemort is recruiting to his cause underage wizards and witches."

"What?"

"Voldemort is allowing those he deems worthy or necessary, and have reached the age of sixteen to be inducted into his inner circle. This means he will be going after my students."

"You have proof."

"Yes. I am telling all the Professors to keep a close eye on all students – and to report to me if they notice anything suspicious, which includes students being withdrawn from their friends or their grades dropping suddenly."

"I am more than willing to do that, but as a new teacher I will not know the students well enough for sometime to even know if their behavior is peculiar."

"There are certain students who I believe are more likely to be recruited than others. There is one boy, a Gryffindor fifth year, that would greatly benefit Voldemorts cause _if_ he can get the boy on his side. The boy will be turning sixteen before the year is over."

"And you want me to keep an eye on this particular boy?"

"Yes."

"Why me? Why would a boy trust a new teacher? Surely one of his other teachers or his Head of House?"

"He is a bit of a troublemaker and his Head of House has had to discipline him often, so it is unlikely he would go to her. Given your family history, I think you two will have a lot in common. I only ask you to attempt to become his mentor. It is important the boy feels he has an adult he can turn to for help and who will not judge him. His parents, I'm afraid, will only push him toward Voldemort's clutches."

"The boy's name?"

"I will only give it to you once you agree."

"Are you sure I am the best choice?"

"The fact you are a new, younger teacher and with your history, I believe you are. I only ask you try. There will be no repercussions for you if you fail to gain his trust."

"Accept another boy in Voldemort's service."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

Keenan mulled it over for a minute. He could feel Dumbledore's gaze on him. "All right. I'll do it."

"The boy's name is Sirius Black."

"Black? And you said he was in Gryffindor?"

"As you might have guessed he is not your typical Black, which will be all the more reason for Voldemort to recruit him. Add that his best friend is a Potter, the one family least likely to ever join Voldemorts side and…"

Professor Keenan had heard of the Blacks, of course. Who hadn't? There may have even been a Black enrolled while he attended school, though none near his age. Keenan had no idea how Sirius looked; so when he had run into the boy, he had reacted in a way a teacher was expected – placing the boy in detention. However, this was not how he intended to be first introduced to Sirius. Off course it had been too late to retract the punishment once he heard the boy's name, so Keenan had decided to run with the role. Most of the students had reacted favorably to the 'strict but fair and fun teacher' role. Keenan had even become a favorite Professor out of many, though not to the one boy that mattered.

So far Keenan's detention ploy of getting Sirius to open up slightly was working. It was his hope that Sirius would be fed up enough with the silence and boredom that he might try to talk and from there Keenan could lead the conversation toward somewhere more personal.

"Is there nothing you need me to help you with, Professor?" Sirius asked with a sigh, one hour and thirteen minutes into the two and half hour detention.

"This is called punishment for a reason. What kind of teacher would I be if I lessoned your suffering?"

Sirius stayed silent a moment. "I only meant I could help you out, instead of just sitting here."

"Generous offer – but I am grading exams. It wouldn't be ethical of me to have you see other student's grades." Professor Keenan pretended to shuffle through the exams and then he stopped at one, and began grading. "Fancy that, I'm working on Regulus's exam. He is not quite as naturally talented as you, but he puts in ten times more effort into his assignments."

Sirius looked taken aback by the comment, and then stated, "Regulus always does what he is supposed to."

Trying not to seem too eager to the fact that Sirius was responding to him, Keenan replied, "Complete opposite of my younger brother."

Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"You remind me of him a lot actually."

"I remind you of your brother?"

Keenan nodded.

"So you were the good son?"

Keenan made a mental note of Sirius's choice of words. It was becoming clear that Sirius viewed his younger brother as his parents' favorite.

"I wasn't perfect – not even in my parents' eyes. Though I didn't feel the need to rebel or go against the flow of things as my brother did."

"But your parents liked you better than your brother?"

"No – I didn't say that. They loved us equally and for our differences."

Something in Sirius's eyes flickered.

"If you ever need to talk-"

"Why would I need to talk?" Sirius countered – his defenses back up.

"No reason. I need to finish grading these exams." Keenan glanced up at the clock. "I'll let you leave fifteen minutes earlier. How does that sound?"

Sirius looked away, not answering. Keenan hoped he had made some sort of progress that evening, but he couldn't be sure.

Sirius certainly remained restless for the rest of the detention. Keenan couldn't be sure, but Sirius looked much paler than he had at the beginning of the detention. Pushing the thought aside, Keenan continued grading the papers in front of him and the next time he looked up to check on his charge, Sirius had laid his head down.

"Are you feeling all right, Mr. Black?"

Sirius made a noncommittal sound.

"Please pick your head up then."

Professor Keenan didn't bother to check to see if Sirius had lifted his head until he heard a strange noise. The sight in front of him caused Keenan to leap to his feet. Sirius had fallen out of his seat unconscious and his complexion was as white as chalk.

Keenan shook Sirius and called his name out a few times, but he remained unconscious and more worrisome, his breathing was very shallow. Something was not right.

Keenan knew he could not lift Sirius on his own. Striding outside his office, there were no students to help him, so he levitated Sirius through the hallway and to the Hospital Wing.

Dark Magic being his specialty, with the help of Madam Pomfrey, Keenan tried to deduce if a dark hex with delayed effects was the cause. After their efforts proved futile, Madam Pomfrey began administering all the known common poison antidotes. There was no change; Sirius remained unconscious and his breathing shallow.

They sent word to Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall did not stay long. She went straight to Gryffindor Tower to see if Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew knew what could have possibly happened.

"What do you think?" Dumbledore asked gravely.

"Poison. Or an allergy to a potion."

"I agree, though this does not bode well for Mr. Black, unless we can figure out what he ingested," Dumbledore stated quietly. "If Mr. Black's condition worsens we will have to admit him into St. Mungos, but I would like to delay that if we can."

Forty-five minutes later, Professor Keenan was helping Madam Pomfrey carefully look through her two large books on uncommon poisons. The problem was Black's symptoms were not very specific and a lot of the antidotes had such obscure ingredients that it was too much of risk to try them unless they were certain that was the poison. Professor Dumbledore had gone to see Professor Slughorn to see if he had any further ideas. The door to the Hospital Wing opened and McGonagall returned with a tear streaked faced young Gryffindor girl and James Potter.

"Is Sirius ok?" James demanded immediately. He rushed over to his friend and Keenan pulled him back. James brushed the Professor's arm away, but did not move any closer as Madam Pomfrey checked if Sirius had developed a fever.

"Merlin, Mr. Black's fever has just shot up like a cannon," Madam Pomfrey said and then looking surprised by the company of two students added, "Not to worry! I can bring that fever down in no time." She didn't convince anyone in the room.

Professor Keenan cleared his throat. "Let's speak outside, shall we."

Mr. Black developing a sudden fever could be a sign that his body was fighting the poison, but it could also mean his condition was worsening.

He motioned for Mr. Black, Ms. Madison, and Professor McGonagall to make their way out into the corridor. Ms. Madison was not looking at anyone in the eye and Mr. Potter keeping looking at the Hospital Wing door as if he wished he could see through it.

"We have found out Mr. Black drank wine infused with a potion," Professor McGonagall said. "Ms. Madison was the one to administer it."

"That is good news. What potion was it, Ms. Madison?" Professor Keenan asked, wondering why Professor McGonagall hadn't immediately told them.

"She doesn't know," James spoke out bitterly.

"Ms. Madison in exchange of monetary gain followed the instructions of a masked person – we assume a student though this may not be the case – to mix a cup of wine with an unknown potion and to ensure Mr. Black drank the entire contents."

"Which Sirius did," James said. "We all did. I had a glass too – the wine was perfectly fine. It was whatever she added!"

Madison looked as if she would begin crying again. "I didn't think it would hurt him!"

Professor Keenan took a second to let the information settle in his mind. "The potion bottle – do you still have it Ms. Madison?"

"No. I threw it out," she said. "Why?"

"Even the smallest residue of potion might have helped us figure out its identity – but no matter."

"No matter?" James exclaimed. "Sirius is in there fighting for his life because of her!"

"She will be dealt with accordingly, Mr. Potter. Now I will escort both of you back to the Gryffindor Tower," McGonagall commanded, tiredness etched in her face.

"Can't I stay?" James asked desperately. "I won't be able to sleep. Can't I help you sort through books or something?"

"I don't think Professor Keenan-"

"We could use your help, Mr. Potter," Professor Keenan interrupted. "You must stay out of the way – no matter what happens, is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," James said. "Thank you."

"Very well," Professor McGonagall said. "Please try to get some sleep tonight, Mr. Potter."

James nodded and followed Professor Keenan into the Hospital Wing. James was true to his word. He worked diligently through the references in the Hospital Wing, flagging anything that sounded like Sirius's symptoms for Madam Pomfrey or Professor Keenan to read carefully with a more trained eye.

It was now close to one in the morning. Professor Keenan rubbed his eyes – he was growing very tired. James had fallen asleep in his chair. Madam Pomfrey was once again checking Mr. Black's temperature.

"Still high?" he questioned.

"I can't get it to fall past 101. He'll have to be admitted sooner rather than later if this keeps up. I'm afraid he'll stop breathing at any moment."

Professor Keenan nodded grimly. Mr. Black was very ill and even with all the talented teachers in the school; he was in for a fight for his life.

* * *

**A/N: I hope there weren't too many errors – I read it over a few times, but I always seem to miss things. Please leave a review!**


	16. A Letter

**Author's note: ****I noticed two mistakes in last chapter, and they have been fixed. Victoria's boyfriend is in Hufflepuff and Sirius has told his friends about the arranged marriage. Nothing important to the overall plot was changed.**

**

* * *

**"I'm going to the loo," Peter Pettigrew told his three friends. There was barely an acknowledgement and only one of them had the excuse of being unconscious.

Peter knew James was really worried about Sirius. After all, James had not returned to their dorm last night. This in turn had really concerned Remus. So Remus had decided to skip breakfast (without bothering to ask Peter if he were hungry) and go to the Hospital Wing. It wasn't that Peter couldn't go to breakfast by himself. Peter knew he could very well find other Gryffindors to sit with. Peter just felt his feelings and desires were always the last considered in their group.

Peter _was_ concerned for Sirius, but he had complete faith in the Professors. They would eventually find what was wrong with Sirius, so he just wasn't as worried as James and Remus. Even if he was more worried it wouldn't have changed the hunger pains Peter was feeling. Peter always ate when he was stressed, and the grim, quiet atmosphere of the Hospital Wing was doing little to distract the rumbling of his stomach.

He wasn't exactly lying about going to the loo. He would use the bathroom and then stop in the kitchens for a muffin or toast or any morsel of food the house elves were willing to give him. The house elves as always were very obliging and Peter took his stash out to the courtyard to eat. It was freezing out so he had assumed he would not be disturbed.

This morning Peter wasn't the only one who had picked the outdoors for privacy. He heard two voices arguing and as he peered behind one of the pillars he was surprised to see Leila Yaxley – the girl Sirius would marry if the Black family got their way and Severus Snape. Peter crept up closer so he could hear what they were saying.

"I brewed the potion you asked, Yaxley and nothing more."

"If Sirius dies, who do you think they'll blame?"

"Dies? Regulus didn't seem all too concerned. You are exaggerating."

"Would you be willing to take that chance? Love potions are hardly legal! You were the one to brew it."

"I didn't pick out the potion. I followed the instructions. This is hardly my fault. This is your mess."

"I am not taking the fall for this all alone."

"Go ahead and tell them. No one will believe I wanted _Black _to fall in love with _me_. They'll know I brewed it for someone."

"This wasn't supposed to happen." Leila looked upset. "This is ridiculous."

"This is what you get for liking Black."

"A half-blood like you wouldn't know the first thing about these things."

Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing. A love potion! Yaxley and Snape working together! Snivellus had brewed the potion! James and Sirius would murder Snivellus!

"Wait!" Snape suddenly called out and Peter crouched back down. Snape was suddenly staring right at the pillar he had been hiding behind. "We're not alone."

Before Peter could do anything he felt his body freeze and the food he'd been holding fell to the ground. Snape and Leila walked calmly towards him.

"What have we here? A rat?" Snape asked and Peter was unfrozen.

"I didn't hear anything," Peter said quickly.

"Pettigrew?" Leila asked. "He's one of Sirius's friends, isn't he?"

"Indeed," Snape sneered.

"That could present a problem."

Peter felt himself trembling. He didn't know very much about Leila. Snape, on the other hand, he knew what that boy was capable of – which was why Peter never approached him without at least James or Sirius, preferably both of them by his side.

"I know some Memory Charms – haven't tried them out yet on a human – but-"

"What's your first name?" Leila asked softly, her voice like music.

Peter felt himself flush. "Peter."

"You aren't going to tell anyone, Peter."

Peter shook his head. His stomach twisted unpleasantly in knots, but at the same time the way Leila was looking at him was causing his body to react in a completely different manner.

"I'm going to tell you a secret. Sirius and I are to marry."

"I-I-I know," Peter stuttered.

"He told you?" She pouted her red lips and put her hand on her hip.

"I found out," Peter explained. Peter was the last person Sirius would confide anything to. He had overheard James confiding in Remus and then had demanded that James tell him as well.

"You'll help me, won't you, Peter?"

"Help you with what," Peter asked warily.

Leila was now standing very, very close to him; closer than any girl that beautiful ever had. His heart was beating manically and he was sure he was as red as his tie.

"I have the ingredients of the love potion, right here, in this book. Without it, I am afraid the teachers will never know what is ailing Sirius. I can't be implicated and neither can Snape."

"Do you want me to take the book?"

"Yes, Peter. You will take the book. You will place it outside of Professor Keenan's door, with the book open to this page." Her instructions were hypnotic. As she showed him page seventeen their hands grazed and Peter felt an electric shock shoot through his body. "Then you will knock, loudly three times, and then you will run. Professor Keenan will discover the love potion and he'll figure out which ingredient is causing the problem. Simple."

"Why can't Snape do that?" Peter asked. "Why do you need me?"

"Because I trust you," Leila said and she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "You care about your friend, while Snape here – there's no love lost between those two." Leila was watching him very closely and laughed prettily. "I _can_ trust you, Peter?"

"Yes."

Leila smiled and pecked him on the cheek again. "For good luck."

Peter felt as if he was floating on air. He probably would have signed his life away for a real kiss from Leila.

Peter did exactly what he told. Only after he knocked on Keenan's door and scurried away did he realize he was now in on the deception. Peter could never tell his friends that he knew Leila and Snape were responsible for the love potion. If he told, Leila and Snape were bound to tell his friends in turn that he had known all along and hadn't turned them in. Peter didn't care so much what Sirius thought, but James would be furious with him and Remus wouldn't approve of it either. Peter was nothing without his friends.

Things worked out just as Leila had planned. Peter returned about an hour later to the Hospital Wing. Enough time had apparently passed for Professor Keenan to put two and two together about the love potion and there was a lot of hustle and bustle around Sirius.

"It was Tooter Root," Remus explained to Peter. "Apparently it causes dangerous side effects in a very small percentage of the population. Just Sirius's luck, right?"

"Yea," Peter murmured.

"Where were you all this time?" Remus asked.

Peter grinned sheepishly. "Oh – well – I was hungry, so I stopped in at the kitchens."

Later that night, Peter left James and Remus again in the Hospital Wing. Sirius was now conscious and talking; though the nurse had already decided Sirius would have to spend at least the next three days under her care. Peter had brought his homework with him, but he couldn't concentrate and no one made any fuss when Peter said he was going to the library to finish it up.

And Peter was glad he had left because on the way to the library, he ran into Leila. "I did what you asked."

"Thank you, Peter." She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "I won't forget this."

Peter watched her walk away, her hips swaying. Peter grinned to himself. He wasn't that naïve. He knew there was no chance Leila was interested in him, and he had knowingly let her use him. If nothing else, he had joined the few boys – that included Sirius – Leila Yaxley had kissed.

And if Peter was being honest with himself, the real reason he felt so light on air had nothing to do with Leila. It just felt good to have a secret behind his friends' back, just like all those times James and Sirius had shut him out.

* * *

One thing Sirius hated most about being stuck in the Hospital Wing was all the time it gave a person to think. This was particularly a problem when his thoughts kept straying to the inevitable fact that the deadline to accept Malfoy's offer had come and gone. He knew he was being ridiculous, but at times he half expected one of the Professors to come in and tell him James had been attacked.

As with most incidents dealing with him, the whole school within hours knew all the details; though not all the details were entirely factual. When Sirius felt well enough, he had been questioned by Professor McGonagall. Sirius had stated he hadn't any idea who would want to feed him a love potion. Apparently while he had been too ill for questioning, James and Remus had already informed the Professors about his arranged marriage with Leila Yaxely. This had caused a very uncomfortable line of questions, but it ended up being nothing. Leila Yaxley was eventually cleared of all allegations. One thing Sirius did remember was he had reacted strangely to Leila Yaxley that whole day after drinking the wine, but he couldn't see a girl with her upbringing using a love potion to get her way.

* * *

After four long days Sirius was finally released from the Hospital Wing

"Prongs," Sirius pronounced without preamble as he followed his mates into the dorm.

"What?" Peter asked sitting on James's bed. It was early evening and the boys were alone.

"Our nicknames, they should be related to the animals we transform into," Sirius elaborated, though not quite enough for his friends to have an idea where he was going with the idea.

"And?" James prompted.

"Prongs would be perfect for you, James," Sirius said. "You do have antlers after all so I was thinking of a good synonym for antlers and I got Prongs."

"Wait I lost you after you said you were thinking," James joked.

"Funny. I had a lot of time to think. I almost bored to death in the Hospital Wing."

"Yea, yea…you've complained enough to us about that already," remarked Remus.

"He was milking it a bit heavily, especially whenever Catherine Pierce came to visit," Peter said with a smirk. "How many times did she come? Five?"

"She visited me only twice," Sirius said. "You all seem to have forgotten quite quickly how ill I was! I deserved some extra sympathy."

"_Oh Sirius do you need an extra pillow? Are you cold? Do you want me to hand feed you soup_?" Peter mimicked.

"She did not offer to hand feed soup," Sirius said, trying to appear mad, he ended up laughing along with his friends.

"So much for going stag to Hogsmeade," James said.

"I didn't agree to go with Pierce. Did I?"

"She's planning on asking you. Anita Knight told me. So be prepared," James said.

"Thanks, Prongs." Maybe it was time to tone down his flirting with Catherine before she got the wrong idea.

James grinned. "_Prongs. _It doesn't sound half bad. We still need a nickname for you."

"I'm fresh out of ideas," Sirius said with a shrug.

"Well," Peter began carefully, "my mom used to tell me this folklore with a big black dog in it and he was referred to as Padfoot?" Peter looked worriedly at Sirius, for he tended to get short with Peter quite often.

"Padfoot?" Sirius said mulling over. "That's brilliant, Peter. I mean, Wormtail."

"Its official then," Remus said. "Prongs and Padfoot it is."

* * *

Today was the day. James was planning to ask out Lily Evans to Hogsmeade. His palms were sweaty and he felt jittery the entire walk to Transfiguration. As was his tendency lately, James zeroed in on Lily in the gaggle of girls around her. James had been eager to get it over with, but he couldn't very well do it in front of her friends.

The Slytherin girls had arrived and with it Leila Yaxley. James still believed she was behind the love potion fiasco, but he kept it to himself. To his surprise, Leila Yaxley beamed at Peter as she walked by. "Hello, Peter," she said pleasantly. Leila held James in contempt whenever they were forced contact, probably because she believed he was influencing Sirius away from the Blacks and away from the Black's plans for their heir (ie: marrying Leila).

Peter smiled back. "Hello, Leila."

That was all the contact they had, but it was enough to get a rise out of Sirius.

"Since when are you on first name basis with Yaxley?" Sirius demanded of Peter.

Peter flushed. "Well – I- " Strangely Peter almost look guilty.

Leila was close enough to hear Sirius and to say back loudly, "Peter helped me the other day when I dropped my books all over the floor. He was quite the gentlemen."

Peter nodded looking relieved by the explanation. "That's right."

"We introduced ourselves and talked a bit. Is that a problem, Sirius?" Leila asked.

"Leave my friends alone, Yaxley," Sirius insisted.

"Let Peter decide that on his own," Leila commented and then walked off.

"Do you like her?" Sirius asked. When Peter didn't answer, he added, "She is way out of your league, Wormtail."

"I don't like her," Peter said and he looked ready to throw something at Sirius that would make him explode, but then he thought better of it.

"Padfoot, there's Snivellus. We've left him alone for awhile. Care to have a go?" James asked diverting his friend toward something he could use his explosive energy on.

Within in a few minutes Snape found his nose had grown two sizes too big and his shoes soggy from some sort of slime. Unfortunately for James, he did not notice the disapproving glares Lily Evans was throwing his way.

As the students filtered into class, James approached Lily as she was taking out her quill and paper.

"Hey, Evans," James said cheerfully.

"Potter."

Lily did not look exactly thrilled to be speaking to him, but James plodded on with his intent. "Did you see the notice about Hogsmeade?"

"I did."

"We should go together. What do you say?"

"No, thank you."

"Errr – what?"

"No thank you, Potter."

James faltered and stood up unsurely. Professor McGonagall had arrived. "Having trouble locating your seat, Mr. Potter?'

"No, Professor," James answered, feeling his face grow warm. He quickly joined his friends on the other side of the room.

"Bad luck, Prongs?" Sirius commented.

James shrugged. If Sirius had been able to tell the outcome of his talk with Lily, James was sure half the class now knew he had been shot down.

James was not able to pay attention to the lecture that night. His thoughts milled around Evans. James had expected Lily to say yes. Why wouldn't she? James felt he was good looking enough. He was also likable and popular. It didn't make sense. _Unless Lily had already accepted another invitation?_ _That had to be it_, James reasoned. It was the only explanation. He would just have to find out who the bloke was.

James watched Lily exit before him and as he pulled his things together, he jogged up to catch up with her.

"Who is it then?" James called out to her.

Lily stopped, as did her friends. Catherine Pierce was looking beyond James hoping to catch sight of Sirius. "What are you talking about?"

"Who are you going to Hogsmeade with?"

Her friends all raised their eyebrows.

"I never said I was going with anyone, Potter. Check your hearing."

"But – then – why did you say no to me?" James demanded and he could see her friends looking at him as if he were clueless.

"I didn't want to go with you."

"Why not?" James probably should have let it go at that, but he really was clueless.

"Figure it out yourself, and then come talk to me." Lily stalked off leaving James speechless.

Her friends shrugged at him and left to follow her. His friends joined him and judging by their expressions they had heard everything.

"What was that about?" James asked, the humiliation of Evan's words was starting to set in.

"Don't know, mate," Sirius said patting him on the back.

"You really don't know?" Remus voiced.

"Know what?"

"Prongs," Remus began looking as if he were about to explain something vitally important, "I don't think she approved of what you did to Snape."

"The hexes?" James asked.

"Yes."

"It's only Snivellus though!" James exclaimed. "He's a git."

"Snape is her friend. Don't forget that. If you want a chance with her, don't go after her friends."

"That's ridiculous," James muttered. "She's just playing hard to get."

* * *

Sirius dug into his eggs eagerly. He looked down the table and caught Catherine Pierce's gaze. She smiled at him and Sirius nodded back at her. He hadn't exactly toned down the flirting and she hadn't yet gotten the courage to ask him to Hogsmeade. Sirius wasn't sure what his answer would be, but he had turned down a Ravenclaw girls' invitation the other afternoon.

Mail arrived as Sirius took another bite of his breakfast. Sirius did not bother to flick his gaze upward; he no longer expected any mail, which was why he was startled when an envelope was dropped in front of him.

Sirius picked it up warily and then smiled in relief. "It's from Andromeda."

"You wrote to her?" James asked in surprise.

"Some time ago," Sirius said. Sirius had expected Remus to have mentioned to James about the letter. He long suspected the two of them talked behind his back whenever one of them was concerned about something that dealt with Sirius's family.

Sirius ran his finger along the edge of the envelope to open it. Sirius unfolded the letter eagerly, but the words before him were far from what he had expected.

_Dear Sirius,_

_I know these are words you do not want to hear. I understand how frustrated you are with our family. I know the pressure you must be under to conform is great, probably greater than I can imagine - as you are the eldest son. I fear that you will act brashly without thought to your future. You may see my running away as an answer to your problem, but it is not. I made a calculated decision. I waited until I was of-age. I waited until I knew I had a way to support myself. I also knew I was not a valuable asset to the family._

_If you ran away, where would you go? Where would you live? Disownment will go along with forfeiting your inheritance. And I believe your parents won't stop at that. They will want to destroy your life, and that will include making it nearly impossible to find a job. You are too young to make a decision like this. Wait at least until you've graduated Hogwarts and I would recommend acquired a job. _

_It pains me to write this, but I will not be able to shelter you if you do runaway. I have a Muggle-born husband and a child. I need to think about them and I need to put their safety first. I promised Ted I would never do anything to antagonize my family. If I took you in- they will go after my husband and child –_

Sirius stopped reading, his fists curled around the paper. Peter had been telling James and Remus something – all of them pretending not to watch Sirius as he read the letter. "So I was thinking--" Peter's words faltered, as something in the air had changed. James, Remus, and Peter both focused their attention on Sirius.

Sirius felt his breathing increase, his heart start pounding, and he jumped to his feet. He needed air. He needed room to breathe – to yell – to scream – to do something – to be anywhere but in the Great Hall. A place far away from this friends; he couldn't handle their pity or sympathy.

Sirius ignored James calling out his name. He kept walking and only paused at one of the trash bins to rip the letter straight in half. He hadn't read it to the end - though really what more could there be, what more could she say? He didn't want to read that Andromeda still cared about him and that she still wished him well. The one family member he thought he could always count on – the one he thought would be there if he desperately needed her – had failed him. He was now completely alone in this fight.

Sirius wasn't in the Great Hall to witness his friends heatedly whispering about the letter. And he wasn't there to see Professor Keenan – once the Great Hall was empty- dig into the bin and retrieve the letter.

* * *

**A/N: I highly encourage you to leave a review!**


	17. Suspicions

**Chapter 17: Suspicions**

**Author's note: This update was a long time in coming, but on a brighter note, I have about twenty-five pages typed up in advance for the next few chapters. There still needs to be editing, but the hard part is over. This should mean quicker updates (as long as I keep this pace up and don't catch the writer's block bug). So I'm pretty happy with this chapter. I kept rewording parts and there are still some places I could edit, but overall I felt it was ready to post. Enjoy!**

Sirius heard his name being called and looked up. He took a deep breath preparing mentally to deal with one of his friends. As sociable as Sirius was there were times he wished to be left alone.

He was pleasantly surprised to see Catherine Pierce smiling at him. "I thought my eyes were deceiving me – Sirius Black studying in the library without any of his mates!"

Sirius smiled ruefully. "Yes – well – you may sit down if you'd like."

Catherine beamed, sitting delicately in the chair across from Sirius. Catherine had pretty light blue eyes and the light from the window was catching her blonde hair, making it gleam. He didn't mind her company, even if she did giggle a lot.

"So what _are_ you doing here?"

"Avoiding my mates actually, though I fear they'll figure out I'm here once they look in all the usual places."

Sirius was pleased when Catherine didn't ask him why he was avoiding his friends. Nothing bothered him more when a girl felt she was entitled to know what was going between him and his mates. James, Remus, and Peter had been nagging him about the contents of the letter from Andromeda and Sirius was not ready to talk about it. Sirius hadn't been in the best of moods since the letter which helped propagate his friends' concern.

"You're lucky your friends care enough to even go looking for you."

"I suppose. Are you saying your friends wouldn't care enough?" He knew Catherine hung out with the same group of Gryffindor girls since first year, so he had always assumed they were as close as he was with his friends.

"They do care, but I sometimes feel we are more competitors than friends." Catherine twirled a strand of her hair. She looked slightly embarrassed.

"Competing for what?"

"Everything – grades, clothes, popularity-" she paused blushing "-boys…"

Sirius grinned. "Boys, eh?"

Still looking pink in the face which only made her blue eyes brighter, Catherine continued, "Mary told me I was wasting my time coming over to speak to you. She didn't believe you would say two words to me."

While Catherine spoke, Sirius spotted Remus peeking into the library. It was only a matter of time before Remus headed over to where he was and incase there was a scene, he didn't want Catherine to hear it.

Sirius looked into Catherine's eyes and made a decision. "You can tell them I said yes." Then he started gathering his belongings nonchalantly.

Catherine looked confused. "Yes about what?"

"A little bird told me you wanted to ask me to Hogsmeade. My answer is yes."

Catherine gaped at him.

"That should shut McDonald up."

She didn't seem capable of speech yet.

"If you still want to go with me, that is."

"Of course, I do."

Remus had spotted him and was making a beeline towards him. Sirius placed his hand over hers and gave a squeeze. "I've been found. We'll talk later?"

"Sure. Yes." Catherine was grinning ear to ear, and Sirius watched her join her friends.

Remus was now standing next to him. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Yes I was about to snog her senseless in front of everyone," Sirius stated dryly.

Catherine had apparently told her friends about their date because they were all now staring in his direction. Sirius waved causing a few of them to giggle.

"Let's go, shall we?" Remus asked.

Sirius nodded and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Where are Prongs and Wormtail?"

"In the dorm – I told them I'd look in the library. Prongs didn't believe I would find you in here. Though we looked everywhere besides the Dungeons, and I figured you'd choose books over hiding among the Slytherins."

"I still don't want to talk about it."

"We're just worried. It isn't like you to hide out – to avoid us."

"If you lot wouldn't bring up the letter every few seconds I wouldn't feel a need to avoid you."

"Full moon is coming up soon, if you all will be joining me again we have to start making plans," Remus said. "We won't mention the letter."

Sirius considered Remus for a moment. He had no problem believing Remus would be considerate enough to go by his word. Sirius also knew Peter was unlikely to bring the subject up after Sirius had yelled at him about it once before. It was his best friend who would be most problematic, and the part that made it all the harder was James felt he was being the best friend he could be by forcing a conversation about the subject. "Even James?"

"Do you want me to threaten to dock points off him if mentions it?" Remus asked lightly opening the door up in front of them. The boys clambered up the stairs toward the Gryffindor Tower.

"As you well know point deductions and detentions have never deterred James before."

"Nor has it ever deterred your actions."

Sirius smiled. "Very true, Moony. I'll just hex his mouth shut."

As the two boys entered the dorm, James shot up to his feet. "He was in the library?" he asked incredulously.

"I was in the library," Sirius affirmed. "I had my mirror on me. If you were so desperate to speak to me you could have rung."

"I didn't think you'd answer," James said crossing his arms.

Sirius shrugged. James was probably right about that.

"So full moon is in 6 days," Remus interjected. There was a pause of silence, and Remus looked hopefully between Sirius and James. James and Sirius continued to glare at one another silently. Peter unsure of how to contribute to the conversation decided it was best not to get involved just yet. After a few more moments, Remus sighed with exasperation. "Can we focus on this? We all agreed not to mention you-know-what – even you Prongs."

"I only agreed because you said we wouldn't be able to join you on the next full moon otherwise," James muttered, uncrossing his arms and flopping back down on his bed.

"I didn't have a choice; it was the only way to get Sirius here. We do need to discuss this," explained Remus.

"Everything went splendidly last time. What are you so worried about Moony?" Sirius asked. Remus tended to worry about things that James and Sirius never gave a second thought about. Peter most likely worried about the same things, but rarely voiced them.

"Only because we planned it so carefully. Only because nothing deviated from our plan," Remus said forcefully.

"We know you aren't going to attack us while we are in animal form," Sirius stated. "What else is there to worry about?"

The moment the question was out of his mouth, Sirius regretted it. Apparently there was a whole plethora of things to worry about. Remus was even concerned about how the three of them would sneak out of the castle undetected to join him in the Shrieking Shack. And Remus was not amused when James muttered sarcastically under his breath, "Shame I don't have an Invisibility Cloak collecting dust in my trunk." The _cloak_ had yet to fail them. Sure there had been close calls and it was likely many of the teachers suspected that they had access to magical device to aide their sneaking around.

Next on Remus's 'what-you-need-to-remember-when-you-join-a-werewolf-on-a-full-moon' list was to remind them of the importance of being in Animagus form a good fifteen minutes before his own transformation into a werewolf. This was to afford them time to get away if any of them had performance anxiety. Sirius scoffed at the idea of this happening to him, but he realized this was probably for Peter's benefit. Peter's magical ability had always suffered because of his lack of confidence.

As if he hadn't been listening to Remus speak for the past few minutes, James suggested, "There really is no reason we need to stay _in_ the Shrieking Shack during the full moon." James voiced the proposal so casually that Sirius was sure James was pulling Moony's leg.

"Well you three don't, but it sort of defeats the purpose of you joining me for the transformation if you are going to leave to romp around outside," Remus said giving James an odd look.

James rolled his eyes. "You would join us."

"Absolutely not!" Remus shouted. "That is crazy talk, Prongs."

James continued calmly, "Why not? Padfoot and I turn into large animals – large enough animals that I believe could control you."

"I am not going to risk the safety of others because you _believe _you can control me."

As Remus and James argued, Sirius was thinking over the suggestion carefully. It was risky, but it was the risk that made half the trouble they got into fun. And with three large animals the Shrieking Shack became quite small, and being stuck in the cramped space would become quickly dull. Sirius was really warming up the idea. Now he only had to figure out what best way to back up Prong's suggestion.

"We wouldn't venture far at first-" said James.

"Hogsmeade is right near the Shrieking Shack," Peter voiced.

"Thank you, Wormtail." Remus looked relieved that one of them had some sense. "That would be too near a large population of wizards and witches. The moment the werewolf picks up any sort of human scent, I will be uncontrollable."

"Wormtail is right," James admitted. "Even if we could get out of the Shrieking Shack, I think it would be nigh impossible for us to get back in."

It didn't take long for Sirius to see where James was going. To see James's idea clearly in his mind and he jumped in with, "But if we lead Moony down the tunnel towards the Whomping Willow--"

"Exactly. It will be late at night. Everyone should be in bed; or if not in bed, safe inside the castle. The Whomping Willow is near the Forbidden Forest. It would be the perfect setting for a werewolf and his friends to have adventures," James added.

Remus groaned. "Padfoot, you're supposed to be angry with Prongs, not siding with him on this stupid idea."

Sirius laughed and James said with a grin, "Let's not forget you were the one who wanted us to stop arguing. So there you have it. We've united behind this stupid, though secretly you agree, brilliant idea."

Sirius nodded. "Just think how happy the wolf will be to run around the forest. No longer trapped…he's never been out, has he? The first time will probably be the easiest anyway. The wolf will be so overcome with the noises and scents of the outdoors, humans won't even cross his mind!"

Remus opened his mouth to argue, but he paused. The pause was only for a few seconds before he was back to reminding them the dangers of the proposition. For those few seconds Sirius was sure Remus had allowed himself to visualize letting all the wolf's aggression and pent up energy out into the forest. For those few seconds Remus saw what they were seeing – that the risk was worth it. That they were breaking so many rules already – one more surely couldn't hurt. They just had to get him to envision the four of them frolicking through the forest and not the current image Remus had of him tearing apart a group of lost first years.

After Remus was finished rattling off all the things that could go wrong even in the Forbidden Forest (including the fact that as first years they had explored the Forbidden Forest, though they weren't ordinary first years and it hadn't been at night), James plunged into the trust angle.

"We wouldn't let you hurt anyone," James said sincerely. "Do you not trust us?"

Remus was beginning to look aggravated. "You all know this has nothing to do with trust!"

Sirius and James exchanged glances. "Ok. Ok. I didn't mean that," James said holding his hands out in a placating gesture. "I really don't think you'll regret taking this risk. I really believe this could make full moons even better than before. I was just trying to get you to see that."

The topic had clearly run its course for today. Sirius considered it a victory because Remus despite calling the idea crazy said he'd give it some thought – just to show them he did value their friendship. At least they hadn't mentioned the idea of these full moon outings as a way for Remus to 'pay them back' for all their trouble. It had crossed Sirius's mind for a moment, but it would have been very low of them. Remus had never asked them to become Animagus and it was clear, every day, how much it meant to him.

Remus glanced at his watch. "Wormtail, do you still need me to help you with that essay? I have a Prefect meeting after dinner and then I am on for patrol between 7:30-9:30 pm. I won't have time after dinner."

"Yes, please," Peter said eagerly. "I need to grab my things."

"I'll wait downstairs and we can go to the library. Group study hours are currently in session, so we don't have to worry about being too quiet," Remus suggested.

Remus left leaving Peter to rifle through the mess of school papers and books on his bed. Peter looked from Sirius to James. "Did either of you finish the essay?"

"No," they answered in unison.

"You can come if you want," Peter ventured.

"Don't think we are invited," Sirius said with a smirk. It clearly didn't bother him and the essay wasn't due for another day.

Peter shrugged and disappeared down the stairs. Sirius looked over at James warily. Now that it was just the two of them it increased the likelihood of James pestering Sirius over the letter, but James surprised him.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" James questioned.

"I could use a night off from studying," Sirius said honestly. Hiding from his friends had also translated to putting in a lot of schoolwork hours in order to keep busy.

"I was thinking we could wander the corridors and see what kind of trouble we can get into."

"Moony is patrolling this evening," Sirius reminded him. After all Remus would not take kindly to them looking for trouble, especially while he was on patrol duty. There was a small part of Sirius who did wonder how Remus would react if he caught them both doing something while on patrol.

"Exactly, so he won't miss us. And we'll do it before curfew so the actual wandering will be perfectly within our rights."

"I suppose."

"And we won't have to worry about Wormtail being in the way. He will be preoccupied."

"What do you mean?" It was unlike Peter to have plans not involving one of them.

"He's got some study group with this girl he's interested in. Apparently she's interested in him as well; they are going to Hogsmeade together," James supplied.

"Really? Who is the girl?" As unkind as the thought was, Sirius was genuinely shocked to hear that Peter was close to heading into his first relationship.

"Emily Gable. She's in Ravenclaw. You aren't going to like this, but Leila Yaxley sort of set him up with the study group. Yaxley and Gable knew each other before Hogwarts."

"Did they now?" Sirius muttered. Hadn't he told Leila to leave his friends alone? Especially Peter; he was the most vulnerable. It seemed awfully convenient that there was suddenly a girl who was friendly with Leila Yaxley showing interest in Peter…

"Don't, Padfoot," James said firmly. "I know what you are thinking. I thought the same thing, but don't say anything to Wormtail."

"You'd rather see him hurt later?" Sirius countered. As much as Sirius ragged on Peter, he still felt protective of his friend.

"Wormtail is going to take it the wrong way. I saw Gable and besides an ample chest, she's very plain. I don't think she's out of his league…she _might_ really like him. If it is the real thing and we ruin this for Peter…"

"I suppose," Sirius relented.

James ran a hand through his hair. "Looks like Wormtail will be the only Marauder with a date to Hogsmeade."

Sirius cleared his throat and feeling slightly guilty divulged, "About that – I have a date as well."

James raised his eyebrows. "With who?"

"I said yes to Pierce. Happened right before Remus marched me out of the library at wand point."

"Remus did no such thing." James paused a moment to study his friend. "I was under the impression you were going to say no to her."

Sirius shrugged. "I know, but she looked awfully pretty this afternoon and the fact that McDonald told her I wouldn't give her a second glance, sort of made me want to do the opposite." Sirius knew James was still smarting from Evans's refusal to go on a date with him. He might pretend to be aloof, but the fact he hadn't gone right after to ask any other girl who caught his fancy to Hogsmeade proved it did bother him. "I don't have to spend all day with her. Or we could double. Just because Evans has a stick up her arse-"

"Hey-" James called out. Despite being rejected, he didn't like his best friend putting down the girl he had a crush on.

"All right – just because she refused you, doesn't mean you can't ask another girl out. There are plenty of them batting their eyelashes at you every time you enter a room or walk down a hall."

"Maybe…I do have Moony to keep me company." Even though the four of them were close friends, James wouldn't have any trouble finding other students to hangout with. To begin with, there were the Quidditch team members and other Gryffindor students from various years. Between his popularity and easy going personality, plenty of students (if you excluded the Slytherins) would have felt honored to be in the company of James.

Sirius clapped James on the back. "Let's work on those essays until dinner time and then-"

"-then we'll have some fun."

* * *

While James and Sirius might have had an enjoyable night marauding, Snape did not.

Last night someone had charmed every single suit of armor to trip any unsuspecting student that walked by. Snape learned this fact the hard way, having fallen flat on his face fours times because of the prank. No one had actually caught Potter and Black in the act, but Snape knew they were responsible for several reasons. First, it fit with their usual childish antics. Secondly, the raucous laughter and looks the duo had exchanged when one of his falls had happened in front of them, all indicated they were the cause. Thirdly, other Slytherin students had seen them wandering the corridors between the hours of 7 to 9 pm. It should be noted that Potter and Black were not the type of students to wander just to wander or to wander to think or for any other reason than causing trouble.

Snape had been wandering because he needed to think away from his House. He had also hoped to run into Lily, perhaps chat with her for a bit, even if that meant dealing with Lupin. That was what had really got Snape. Potter and Black had the nerve to cause trouble when it was their prefects on patrol. Lupin might look the other way, Snape was positive he had done so on numerous occasions already, but Lily certainly wouldn't.

Snape fell asleep that night wishing fervently that Potter and Black had been apprehended. The first thing he looked at in the Great Hall the next morning was the Gryffindors' hourglass of points, hoping to see a decrease. Hoping it had been Lily to catch and deduct points off them. Only the rubies were the exact same level as they had been the night before. It irked Snape, but he calmed himself by knowing one of these days they would be caught. One of these days they would be caught doing something horrible enough that they'd all be chucked out of Hogwarts, and all the better if it was because of something he had discovered.

It was that morning after the suit of armor incident that Snape made a calculated decision. It was a culmination of all the altercations between Snape and the Marauders, including both last night's events and his awful previous week. Last week Snape had learned beyond a shadow of doubt that Potter fancied Lily. Snape had suspected it when Potter had asked her to walk to Slug Club Party, but he had fervently hoped there was another explanation. He'd even allowed himself to believe Lily's one rebuff had injured Potter's pride enough to stop him from approaching her again, but he should have known better. Snape had to face the facts, which wasn't easy since the mere thought of it still made him sick to his stomach. It didn't make him feel any better that Lily had once again declined Potter's offer. It didn't matter because the very fact that Potter _fancied _Lily fueled enough anger that he could have lit Hogsmeade with it for a week.

One of the problems he kept running into with targeting Black or Potter was things tended to backfire. His partnership with Leila had done little in his quest to make the Gryffindors' lives miserable. Despite the love potion making Sirius ill, Sirius did not suspect the slightest that Snape had brewed the potion. Snape obviously wasn't going to enlighten the boy, but when he got back at Black and Potter, he wanted them to know he was responsible.

It had crossed Snape's mind to butter up to Regulus as Leila had begun buttering up to Pettigrew. The brothers' relationship was clearly disintegrating and it was a sensitive subject for Sirius. If only Regulus would cooperate. Regulus still barely acknowledged him even when they were both in the company of Slytherins that Regulus admired and held in high regard. All in all, it didn't really matter because Snape was at a point where he wanted to do more than annoy Potter and Black. More than cause them months of detention. Snape was aiming high: expulsion; expulsion was exactly what they deserved for all the torment they had put him through.

An idea was starting to form in his mind. Over four years of watching the Gryffindors' interactions he felt he knew more than the average student about their inner dynamic. Most students if asked which Marauder was the weakest link of the group would have immediately named Pettigrew. In terms of magical and character strength they were probably correct. Snape was looking for a different weakness and he saw it in Lupin. It was Lupin that Potter and Black were most protective of, even Pettigrew at times. Sickly, tired, pale Lupin who disappeared several times a year for a day or two. There were two excuses Snape had heard from Lily over and over again explaining the boy's absences. It was either Lupin was the one who was ill or Lupin was off visiting sick relations. _But it didn't add up._ Enough was enough; there had to be more to Lupin's story. Why else would Professsor Dumbledore let Lupin constantly miss school or visit sick relatives? _It really didn't add up._ Not to mention, Potter and Black were always jumping in to defend Lupin every time a student became too inquisitive about their friend's whereabouts. Black and Potter had to be covering for Lupin. The question of the year was what.

Snape knew he might be over thinking it – those four tended to do that to him a lot. It didn't escape his mind that Lupin's absences were sanctioned by both Dumbledore and the Professors, but he couldn't help but feel there was something else going on. Maybe even something that involved the other three…something Dumbledore and the Professors weren't aware of. _Hopefully something illegal_, Snape thought gleefully. He could certainly test his theory next time Lupin looked ill. He planned on first asking Lupin about it alone to gauge his reaction. Then he'd ask Potter and Black about it and compare their responses. Of course, this would require him to keep a close watch over them. With all the homework and studying fifth year brought, free time wasn't in a huge abundance. Though it helped not having a large group of friends who wanted to spend time with him, and Snape was sure it would be worth it all in the end.

It was then, Snape stared across the Great Hall directly at the group of Gryffindors he had been obsessing over. All four of them were laughing at something. Gryffindors were far too cheery for Snape's taste. Potter felt his eyes on him first and Snape smirked, enjoying the way the boy tensed.Potter predictable muttered to his friends and soon all four of them were glaring his way. Their glowers uplifted Snape's disposition and he realized, as his stomach protested in hunger, that he hadn't eaten a morsel of food. Snape politely asked William Travers, who had taken a seat one over from him, to pass the breakfast potatoes. Plotting the Gryffindors' demise had certainly but him in a better mood.

**Author's note: Let me know what you think! Reviews are the best!**


	18. A Lesson in Wards

**Chapter 18: A Lesson in Wards**

Peter had never felt better about himself. It was hard being the least clever, athletic, and popular out of a group of friends. His new found confidence had come about without the help of his mates. Over the past few days, Peter had made new friends, had a date to Hogsmeade, and even felt prepared for the impending written Transfiguration exam.

Ever since becoming close friends with his roommates, Peter had never made any real attempt to befriend other students. He also avoided the opposite sex as he always found himself tongue-tied around girls. That is why he was really surprised to find himself so easily accepted into the study group Leila Yaxley had set him up with. She knew one of the Ravenclaw girls and it hadn't been hard to convince anyone that he desperately needed to study more. James and Sirius never put in the hours he needed, and Peter had always had trouble studying when he knew they were off doing something without him; unlike Remus who would rather 'not know'.

The study group consisted of four other students; Emily Gable, Bertram Aubrey, and Phillip Aston of Ravenclaw, and Justine Gable of Hufflepuff (Emily Gable's cousin). They had all been very welcoming, and much more patient with him when he had trouble grasping concepts than Sirius, James and Remus had ever been. And he didn't have to worry that they were only being friendly to get 'in' with the Marauders. Both Aston and Aubrey had been victims of his friends' pranks. Even without the pranks, Aubrey as prefect had it in for James and Sirius, Hogwarts mischief makers, on principle. Justine Gable was very reserved and she tended to agree with whatever Emily thought. It was very clear that Emily wasn't fond of his friends, but Peter hadn't been able to pin down the reason behind her dislike. It was a fact that James and Sirius were well-liked, and Peter had to admit it was odd to suddenly spend time with four students who did not think they were the height of cool.

Peter had only met with his study group three times. They were meeting every other day this past week with the test so close. Tomorrow would be their fourth meeting. He was still surprised how they all genuinely enjoyed his company, and laughed at his joking remarks. He didn't feel a step or two behind their conversations as he often did when James and Sirius talked. After the second study group Emily had asked him out to Hogsmeade. Peter had been shocked; girls didn't ask _him _out. Emily had only been kind to Peter, and although she was plain, she was a respectable romantic interest.

Things in life rarely stayed rosy for Peter and it had all started to go downhill when he introduced Emily Gable to his friends. Even Sirius, who Peter had expected to be the rudest, had smiled and nodded during the introduction. It had swelled his heart with joy to see his friends' approval. He tried to ignore the fact that Emily had acted a bit cold. James and Remus had especially made an effort to ask her a few polite questions to only be answered shortly, in as few words as possible.

When Peter confronted her about it and Emily had replied, "It's just a waste…"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind, Peter. Doesn't matter what I think. I am going to Hogsmeade with you, not them, and I _like _you."

He had left it at that. No point in making it into something it was not.

Peter had pushed it all out of his mind and thus was not prepared when Sirius approached him the next day. James was already seated beside Peter studying a stack of new Chaser plays that Aidan had come up with. Taking a seat across from them, Sirius looked Peter directly in the eye. "Do you really know anything about Miss Gable?"

"What do you mean?" Peter asked confused. James had looked up sharply and Peter saw the disapproving look he gave Sirius.

"Do you know anything about her other than her first name and that she likes to study?"

"I know things about her," Peter said defensively. They hadn't had much alone time, but that was what the Hogsmeade date was supposed to be about. "Why does that matter?"

"What about her family?" Sirius asked ignoring the question.

"Why does her family matter? Just because she's friends with Leila Yaxley doesn't mean-"

"I'm talking about her father."

"Why would I know about her father?"

"I know her father. He works in the Ministry, though a different department than my father. My parents couldn't stop crowing about the bill he introduced over the summer."

Peter swallowed. He looked sideways at James who no longer looked disapproving, but baffled. "What bill?"

Sirius looked around making sure no one was close enough to hear. He leaned in and softly said, "Anti-_werewolf_ bill. He wants to take all their rights away, making it nearly impossible for them to find work, buy a house, receive an Apparation license…"

"What?" Peter asked feeling slightly nauseous.

"Did you not hear me? If that bill passes it will be impossible for _any _werewolf to have a normal life – Hogwarts education or not."

"I – I – didn't know…" Peter stammered. Sirius's eyes were boring into him, judging him, and making him feel stupid and useless. "It doesn't mean she feels that way."

"She could though."

"Emily is _too _nice to think that."

"_Nice_? That's your defense of her?" scoffed Sirius.

"I think that's--" James did not have time to finish his sentence.

Peter wasn't sure if he was flushed in embarrassment or anger or resentment, but his emotions were bubbling over. He shouted, "You don't know a thing about her!" It was a shock to the whole common room; Peter never raised his voice. Having done such a bold move, Peter fled the common room.

Sirius's accusations had whirled around and around and around in his head that night. Instead of seriously thinking about them, all he could think about was Sirius trying to take away the one good thing in his life. Sirius trying to make the one girl who thought he was worth something into a horrible person.

The atmosphere the next morning at breakfast was stiff. James was attempting to have a normal, cheery chat with Remus, but Sirius's sullenness could be felt by all.

After some time, James announced, "Well I've got to mail this letter to my parents before class. Moony want to come with me?"

Remus looked a bit startled. "Err – sure."

"I'll see you _both _in class," James stated making it clear that Peter and Sirius were not invited. Peter did not miss the significant look James gave Sirius.

It was an awkward few minutes with just the two of them. Peter was debating whether he should just get up; if James was making Sirius apologize he didn't want to hear it…

Finally Sirius cleared his throat. "Look Wormtail about yesterday, my comments were out of line. As Prongs pointed out, I should know better than anyone not to judge someone on their family."

Peter should have accepted the apology. He should have told Sirius that he knew Sirius was just looking out for Remus, but he didn't. He was still angry that Sirius had been trying to make Emily out to be a bad person. "It doesn't matter. You should hear some of the things Emily says about you."

Sirius looked shocked by his answer. "What?" Sirius's eyes darkened and his soft expression hardened.

"She doesn't like you very much…" Peter mumbled.

"Really? Did she tell you why?"

"She just doesn't." Peter couldn't understand why this interested Sirius so much.

"Well I think the other day was the first time I've ever really spoken to her. I've never even been partnered up in class with her."

"So?" _Not everyone has to worship the ground you walk on_, Peter thought to himself.

"_So_ what if she doesn't like me because I am a blood traitor? Has she said anything about James? His family is full of blood traitors."

Peter opened his mouth and then closed it.

"Because if that's the reason, there is a good chance her views on werewolves align with her father's."

Peter still couldn't speak.

"Don't worry I am not going to tell Remus anything…at least for now. I'd be careful, Wormtail." Sirius stood up. "See you in class, mate."

Peter wanted to yell after him. He wanted to yell that Emily disliked Sirius and James because they were conceited and ran around as if they ruled the school. There were so many reasons a student could dislike the popular kids that had nothing to do with blood. Only Emily had never called his friends conceited or show-offs like Aubrey and Aston had.

_It's just a waste_… The words repeated over and over in Peter's mind.

There were loads of things Emily could have meant by it. Only he couldn't think of any that didn't have to do with blood.

_A waste that the Black heir was a Gryffindor? A waste that the Black heir was a blood-traitor? A waste that the Black heir had no pride about blood? A waste that the Black heir was best friends with a Potter?_

Emily was looking at him with concern from across the Ravenclaw table. He smiled at her though it didn't reach his eyes. He needed to find some way to ask her, some way to figure out her beliefs. And if she did believe Sirius was a blood-traitor and Remus was a half-breed – then what? Was he prepared to cancel their date?

* * *

Sirius sauntered out of the Great Hall. There was still a half-an-hour until class, so he wandered outside. He let his mind drift. He had a feeling James would not be pleased by the direction the conversation with Wormtail had gone. Sirius was supposed to have apologized, Peter was supposed to forgive him, and the conversation last night was supposed to be forgotten for all eternity.

Sirius had every intention to stick with the script until Peter instead of forgiving him had told him quite boldly that Emily spoke poorly about him. And that had sparked something because as far as he could remember, he had never offended Gable. Sirius was not ashamed to admit that Gable's existence had barely registered in his mind despite having had classes with her over the years. If the Gables were friends with the Yaxleys and if Mr. Gable felt strongly enough against werewolves to advocate that bill, then it wasn't a stretch to think Emily Gable was a blood-purist. And how could Peter go on a date with a girl who believed such things about werewolves? It was a breach of their friendship. James would see that. James would agree.

Sirius could see students streaming out of the Great Hall signaling that first period classes would be starting soon. Sirius supposed he should head over to class as well. James and Remus were already waiting outside the classroom. Professor Keenan always kept his classrooms locked until he arrived.

"Where's Peter?" James asked immediately.

"He'll show up," Sirius said casually, flashing a smile over to where Catherine was huddled with the girls. He leaned against the wall in between Remus and James.

"Did you-" James began to only be interrupted.

Skipping over to them, Catherine greeted him enthusiastically. She really was very pretty, especially when she smiled. She blushed meeting his gaze; it brought light into her eyes and color to her cheeks. "Oh my -wasn't this essay Professor Keenan assigned monstrous!"

"It was wasn't it?" Sirius agreed and he opened his bag rummaging around to double check he had his essay. Only it wasn't there. "Oh no."

"Everything all right?" Catherine asked looking very concerned.

Panicking for a moment, Sirius calmed himself and carefully went through each of his folders. In his hurry to get to breakfast, Sirius realized he must have left the essay on the small dresser by his bed. "My essay – it isn't in my bag- I must have left it back in the dorm."

"Oh no!" Catherine wailed. James rolled his eyes.

"I need to go back and get it," Sirius stated.

Catherine looked forlorn. "You need to leave me so soon?"

"Not to mention you'll be late," James remarked dryly.

Sirius had put too much effort into the assignment to receive no credit for it. Even if it meant being late for class, another (perhaps equally as bad) transgression according to Professor Keenan. He just needed to retrieve it as quickly as possible and hope that Keenan was in a forgiving mood.

"Maybe if you just explain to Professor Keenan what happened, he'll let you hand it in after class."

"Yea right, Remus. You heard Keenan, not handing in an assignment for whatever reason is an automatic zero. I'll be as quick as I can."

"I'll try to cover for you if I can think of something," James murmured. Sirius smiled, pecked Catherine on the cheek to every ones surprise, and then raced down the hallway passing Peter who was making his way to class.

Of all the times Sirius might have welcomed uncooperative staircases, today was not that day. He ended up stranded, waiting a good five minutes before they moved to the floor he needed. The essay was where he suspected he had left it and he flew down the dorm steps colliding into Gideon Prewett.

Prewett had a free period and as a prefect he took a few moments to lecture Sirius about skipping class. Prewett shooed him on his way after Sirius produced the essay he'd forgotten. The exchange still took time that Sirius could not spare.

Having already run into a prefect, Sirius probably should have taken the shortcut. It would have shaved a few minutes on his travel time. Sirius figured he was in the clear since none of the well-used hallways were crowded. There were only small pockets of students milling around.

"Well if it isn't the _blood traitor_," a voice sneered.

Sirius paused. He was usually ready for a fight, but he just wanted to get to class. Though by the mocking tone, Sirius had a feeling he was not going to be allowed to leave without a confrontation. Sirius groaned inwardly when he spotted two seventh year Slytherins, Lestrange and Bennet.

"All alone..." voiced Bennet.

"I don't want any trouble," Sirius said. His mind was quickly trying to decide how to incapacitate them so he could get out of this situation unscathed. Maybe he could even hold them off with some taunts until other students arrived.

"Not such a brave little Gryffindor without your dimwitted friends," Bennet added, laughing loudly. He had a throaty voice and a deep laugh.

"Thought Lucius would forget about your slight? Thought your indecision would go unpunished?" Lestrange demanded

Sirius had not expected his refusal of Lucius and Voldemort to go unnoticed, but he certainly didn't believe it would be carried in the middle of the hallway while he should be in class. Sirius raised his wand, trying to appear threatening.

Then he heard his last name called out. Sirius turned, his wand still trained on his opponents to be met with Headboy, Jacob Long. In the time Sirius had turned, Lestrange and Bennet had taken quick initiative. As Sirius returned to face front position, both Slytherins were unarmed. Bennet had his hands up in a surrendering fashion and Lestrange was holding the top of his arm like it was injured.

Sirius was at a loss for words as Long strode over to stand beside him. Long surely wouldn't buy that he had been able to take out two seventh years alone…

"Black just attacked us, Long."

"Surely you are aware of his temper."

"No pride in blood – hates all Slytherins."

Long held his hand up. "I can clearly see what went on here. I'll start with 15 points of Gryffindor for dueling in the hallways."

"What about them, Long?" Sirius demanded. "They started on me-"

Long silenced him with a look. "Five points off each for Slytherin."

"But I get fifteen points off?" Sirius complained; his outrage barely contained.

"You can brag to all your mates later how you singlehandedly took down two seventh years," Long said sarcastically. He began digging through his bag and took out a schedule. "Free period?"

Lestrange and Bennet nodded.

"Well off with you," Long murmured his eyes still on the schedule so that he didn't see the triumph in the two other students. "A-ha. I knew it. You are supposed to be in class, Black."

"I was heading there," Sirius snapped.

Long was looking down at him pompously. "You just thought you would have time for a duel, did you? You were supposed to be in class twelve minutes ago."

"No – I-" Sirius began, but he could see his excuses would fall by the wayside.

"Professor McGonagall will hear about the duel and I will be forced to mention your tardiness. Though I am sure she will leave it up to Professor Keenan to deal out the punishment." Long looked him over carefully with satisfaction, watching Sirius battle with his temper. Long would see reprehending a troublemaker as himself a trophy of sorts. Doing anything to anger the Headboy would only make the whole mess degrees worse. "Come, I will escort you to class."

As if he was some unruly first year who wouldn't go to his lessons, Long marched him along. Sirius felt his face grow red in both anger and embarrassment. Long knocked officially on the classroom door, and when Keenan told them to enter, Sirius could see the lesson had begun. Professor Keenan was scribbling notes on the board and everyone's wands were out on their desks. Being able to use magic always made lessons more appealing, but Sirius had a feeling it would be dreadful for him.

Long grabbed Sirius's upper arm and pushed him inside of the classroom. The students who were all diligently taking down notes all looked up – some gleefully, some in surprise, some frowning, some smirking, and some in sympathy.

"I found Black wandering the hallways; caught him dueling with two other students. I believe he is yours for this class period?" Long prattled with authority.

Professor Keenan's face set hard and he looked very stern. "Indeed, Mr. Black should be in this class."

"I wasn't wandering!" Sirius exclaimed. "I had forgotten my essay-"

"At least he doesn't deny the dueling, sir," Long said sarcastically and he shared an amused look with the Professor.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Black," Keenan ordered. "Thank you, Mr. Long for bringing Mr. Black straight here."

Long didn't look ready to leave. "Sir, would you like me to speak to his Head of House now? I have a free period and it would be no problem."

"Thank you for offering, Mr. Long, though I will take care of that. There are some other disciplinary problems I will need to inform her of and it would be easiest to do it all in one go. Though, Mr. Long, if you wouldn't mind stepping outside for a moment, I would like to get your side of it."

Sirius had not taken a seat yet and it was only then that Professor Keenan noticed. "I said to take a seat, Mr. Black."

"But-" Sirius argued, despite knowing the futility of it. He didn't like the idea of Long spouting whatever he wanted without Sirius to hear it.

"In your seat _now_, Mr. Black or Mr. Long can escort you next to the Headmasters office." There was no understanding or concern or any hint that Professor Keenan might take time to hear his side of the story. He knew opening his mouth again would only prove he was as unruly and rude as Long was suggesting and that Keenan was thinking. Sirius clenched his fists and kicked his desk chair out from under the desk and sat down. James threw him a look of sympathy. Peter wouldn't look at him. Remus gave him why-must-you-always-goad-the-teachers look.

"Class, please continue taking down the rest of the notes _quietly_. I will be back in a moment." Professor Keenan held the door open for a very pleased looking Long.

James did not waste a moment after the door shut behind the Professor. "What _happened_?" James hissed.

Sirius could not answer right away. He was still fuming. He knew he'd be saddled with at least two detentions. He honestly had not meant for any of this to happen. If only he hadn't forgotten the stupid assignment.

Sirius took a few moments to calm his breathing. He laid his wand on his desk, retrieving parchment and a quill from his bag. Sirius held the quill in his hand as if he was going to carefully begin taking notes as any model student. He then put the quill down and turned back to James who was still gazing at him inquiringly. "I – I really don't know."

Professor Keenan entered noisily, letting the door bang behind him. He appeared to have collected himself and this only served to bother Sirius, whose emotions were still a whirlwind. Professor Keenan faced the class silently until every student had stopped scribbling and looked up.

"Mr. Black, see me after class." Sirius found it peculiar that Keenan would not address part of his punishment in front of his peers.

Sirius forced himself to turn his attention to the words on the board. The topic for today's class was _Wards_. Professor Keenan summarized what he had covered before Sirius's arrival to get everyone back on track.

It was explained that in the fifth year curriculum only the simplest, common household Wards were covered. Those who continued onto Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWTs after this year would revisit the topic in a much greater depth. Both creating and breaking Wards involved intricate and advanced magic.

Professor Keenan called Anita Knight and Severus Snape to pass out the supplies to the students. Each student received four small blocks of wood and three small sized beetles. Snape muttered _idiots _under his breath as he dropped beetles on both Sirius's and James's desk. Sirius wanted to punch Snivellus, but he was in too much trouble to even think of retaliating. James looked ready for a fight, but Sirius knew with Quidditch practices increasing this week in preparation for the first game, James would think twice before hexing Snape in front of a Professor.

Their instructions were as follows: they were to set up a boxed enclosure around the beetles using the wooden blocks. Once the Ward was up, they were to slowly take each of the blocks away and if they were successful, the beetles would be trapped inside an invisible fence. Professor Keenan did a special spell on each of their wands before they began. This would aide them in setting up the Wards; they could now more easily see the magical lines emitted from their wands. The magical lines would stay visible until the entire spell was completed. This was useful for practicing, but Professor Keenan told them it was ill-advised in real life because it also made it much easier to break the Ward.

Professor Keenan demonstrated on a larger model of their small enclosures. He traced four rows of a series of right-side up and upside down triangles. He picked up the block where he had set the Ward. The beetles scurried to the open area only to be thwarted.

"It is best if you do each wall – block – of the enclosure one at a time. You must not pause or take a break until you have finished the series of four rows. If you loose concentration it is useless to continue and you must begin again. This is rather advanced so do not expect to get it right away. Please begin. I will be walking around to give tips."

The amount of concentration needed for the lesson turned out to be a blessing. Sirius was too busy to dwell on anything but the task at hand. The Professor treated Sirius coldly for the duration of class, barely nodding at Sirius's and James's progress when he paused at their table. . His treatment did not include his other two friends, Sirius heard Keenan given both Remus and Peter encouragement.

By the end of class, only James and Sirius had been able to remove two out of the four blocks. An additional eight students including Remus, Lily, and Snape had been able to remove one block. They were to revisit the topic next class.

Sirius watched the students pack their bags forlornly. He was actually apprehensive of the impending conversation with Professor Keenan. He already knew it would not be pleasant.

* * *

As the students packed their belongings, Snape finished collecting the last of the beetles. He glared at the backs of his four least favorite classmates who were talking loudly enough that even if Snape hadn't been interested in their business, he would have known about it anyway.

Strangely it was Potter and Pettigrew (not Potter and Black) who were the loudest. Black actually looked like he was dreading whatever lecture and punishment Professor Keenan had in mind, which was unlike him. Potter was insisting only he wait for Black outside, stating there was no reason for Pettigrew and Lupin to hangout as well. Pettigrew did not seem to agree with this and was insisting just as forcefully that they all wait together. Eventually despite Pettigrew looking hurt at the dismissal, Potter won his way.

Snape decided today would be the perfect chance to catch Lupin without Potter and Black around. He was anxious to see Lupin's reaction to his questions. It was really perfect timing because Lupin had begun looking tired and peaky that very morning.

Snape walked quickly out of the classroom. A few of his fellow Slytherins gave him funny looks when he broke away from them going in the same direction as the Gryffindors. He quickly caught up with his quarry.

"Oi Lupin!" Snape called.

The two Gryffindors turned, looking shocked that Snape was addressing them.

"You were looking a little peaky in class today," Snape began conversationally.

Pettigrew's eyes narrowed. Lupin looked confused and replied icily, "Since when do you care about my health?"

"Suppose you'll disappear for a few days soon?"

Snape was satisfied to see them both pale under this gaze.

"Why would you say that?" Lupin asked nonchalantly, but Snape could tell it was taking all of Lupin's inner strength to appear so.

"Well you do disappear about what – ten times a year? Funny how we are in school for ten months…" Snape was only guessing. He wasn't quite sure that Remus actually was sick every month, but it was often enough. Snape quickly noted that his guess was not off the mark.

Lupin flushed in response to his words and Pettigrew shouted angrily, "It's none of your business! Let's go, Remus." Pettigrew pushed Lupin along, though not quickly enough. Snape had glimpsed the fear in Lupin's eyes as clear as day. There was something to uncover there; he was completely certain about that now.

* * *

Sirius stared down at his desk. He was reminding himself to take the punishment without argument. Full moon was only a few days away and there was a good chance Remus would call the whole thing off if he landed a detention on the night of the full moon.

"Quite a morning you are having, Mr. Black," Professor Keenan said. He unclasped the cloak he was wearing hanging it over his chair before leaning comfortably on his desk clad in his Muggle pants and shirt. His demeanor appeared as if he were there to simply chat with Sirius instead of reprehend him.

"Can I still hand in my paper?" Sirius asked carefully.

"You did the assignment?"

"Yes…that was _why _I was late. I'd forgotten it."

"Really? Mr. Potter told me you were helping a second year to the Hospital Wing."

Sirius looked away not knowing what to say. James had said he would try to cover him.

"Don't worry, I didn't really believe that story even before the rest happened. May I see the paper?"

Sirius nodded and found the paper in his bag. At least he could prove that part of the story.

Professor Keenan studied the homework. "The assignment will be marked late. Since you did complete it, I will not give you detention tonight for that, but I will for your tardiness. I won't waste your time with a lecture about getting to class on time. I am sure you are aware of the rules. It isn't your lack of understanding that causes you to break them, now is it? I suppose that leaves us to deal with your dueling in the hallway."

"I wasn't dueling! Long is an idiot."

"Mr. Black! I am not requiring you to address me by 'sir' or 'Professor' since we are not in a classroom setting, but you will use a respectful tone with me. And you will not call other students names."

"I am telling the truth. I wasn't dueling." His plan to take the punishment was falling by the wayside. There was something about Professor Keenan that made Sirius want to rebellious and argumentative. "Besides, Long already took 15 points off."

Yes," Keenan replied sternly, "Mr. Long mentioned that to me."

"Besides, I am being punished for nothing. Long didn't see what really happened."

"So what really happened then?" Professor Keenan watched him pensively.

"Lestrange and Bennet were going to curse me! I was only trying to defend myself. Do you really believe I could take down two seventh year Slytherins on my own?"

Professor Keenan considered the question. "Yes, I do believe you could," he replied quietly.

"What?" Maybe if luck were on his side, maybe if they were slow or really dimwitted, but that was not the case with the two particular Slytherins he'd run into.

"They may have more magical knowledge than you, Mr. Black, but _natural talent _can often give a wizard the upper hand. I have seen you during Dueling Lessons and I have also seen them, and you could win a duel against them both. Also, I do not see a reason for Mr. Long to lie."

"Long isn't lying. He just misinterpreted what he saw," Sirius relented.

"It would be his word against yours," Keenan explained and Sirius could tell he was pretty much saying no teacher would believe the Headboy against one of the most notorious troublemakers at school. He'd been late to class – Long could even suggest he'd been skiving – and if he was breaking that rule, why wouldn't he be breaking other rules? The 'no magic in the hallway rule' was one Sirius had broken many times before.

"So how many detentions does that get me?" He was going back to his original plan of taking the punishment.

Professor Keenan sighed. He stood up, taking a few strides away from Sirius toward the windows, his hands in the pocket of his pants. "Are you having trouble at home, Mr. Black?"

Sirius felt his stomach clench. Professor Keenan was the only Professor who constantly wanted to bring his home life into the mix. Professor McGonagall had questioned him on occasion, but she never tried to coax him into having a heart to heart.

"None at all, sir," Sirius said sarcasm heavy in his voice.

Keenan faced back to Sirius, his gaze penetrating. Sirius had a feeling his every movement and his every word was being analyzed. "Your acting out would suggest otherwise."

Sirius's temper flared. "You don't know anything!"

"I know more than you think." Professor Keenan walked back over to his desk resuming the position he was in a few moments ago.

"No you don't, _sir_. Because if you did – if you did _know _than you'd realize none if it could be solved by simply talking!"

"I had a very similar conversation like this with my brother, Mr. Black. And even if talking cannot solve anything, it can do a person a world of good. Keeping emotions bottled up – I've been guilty of it too – will eat away at you. Even if you manage to keep those feelings hidden, when you least expect it, when it is least convenient, you'll explode. More often than not your feelings will erupt in a dangerous and negative way, perhaps even hurting someone you care about." Professor Keenan paused and took a deep breath. "I am on your side. I hope you remember that always. No point in putting off seeing Professor McGonagall. Let us go now together. I will recommend a night or two of detention for the dueling."

Sirius stood, slinging his has bag over his shoulder. Professor Keenan slipped the cloak he had taken off back on again and motioned Sirius to go first out the door. Sirius had forgotten James was waiting outside, and Professor Keenan also looked startled to catch him there.

"Mr. Potter, is there something I can help you with?"

"Er --- no, sir," James said sharing a look with Sirius.

"Then there's no need to be dillydallying around my classroom? Maybe there are other second years needing escorts to the Hospital Wing?"

James reddened. "I was waiting for-"

"Mr. Black and I are not finished yet. If you do not have class next period, I suggest you head to your dormitory or the library. Mr. Black can surely find you when he's done."

"Yes, sir," James said frowning. He then shrugged at Sirius and slowly went down the hallway glancing back a few times.

The meeting with Professor McGonagall was unpleasant. Her smile for Professor Keenan quickly turned to a thin line when he tugged Sirius into her office. Professor Keenan explained to her about the tardiness and dueling. Professor Keenan gave Sirius the opportunity to tell McGonagall that he had not been dueling, but Sirius did not take it. It just wasn't worth the energy to argue for a few detentions.

In the hopes to instill in Sirius once and for all that magic outside the classroom was not permitted (especially magical dueling), she tacked on three additional detentions to the one Professor Keenan had assigned. Being his helpful self, Professor Keenan volunteered to oversee all four detentions. If Professor McGonagall found this request odd she did not express it. Sirius was just thankful that his last detention was the night before the full moon. Of course this meant he would have to be on his best behavior until then.

* * *

The next few days weren't as horrible as they could have been. Once Sirius had a chance to tell his friends what had happened they all sympathized, even Moony who always tended to be testier about rule breaking near a full moon. Peter was acting like their conversation had never happened and Sirius too caught up in everything else was letting him. Sirius did end up telling James the truth and his fears about where Emily Gable's loyalty lay. They had agreed to let it be for now. Peter was only going on one date and the extra study time would only benefit Peter. James had spied on Peter's study group one night (bored while Sirius was in detention) and relayed to Sirius that the group really was studying and that nothing of the sinister sort was going on.

In addition to his friends, Sirius had Catherine Pierce to brighten his days. Catherine could be a bit silly and girly at times, but she took his breath away when she smiled at him, and she didn't seem to care that he could only sit with her a few meals a week. She acted so perfectly that it was almost as if she had read a book on how to be Sirius Black's ideal girlfriend. Not that they were 'going out'; although Sirius did find himself seeking out individual time with her – either walking her to class or talking together in the corner of the common room. One night she had waited up for him to come back for detention and they snogged for a good fifteen minutes on the couch. If the Hogsmeade date went well, Sirius was thinking of asking her to be his girlfriend.

The detentions were as monotonous as always. He found himself for his first detention scrubbing the entire floor in the classroom where they had Dueling lessons with only a small hand brush. The second detention was washing the windows and polishing all the desks in Professor Keenan's classroom with a wood polishing solution smelling so foul that it turned his stomach. The third detention brought Sirius outside lugging a pail of soapy water and hand brush out to the Quidditch stands. He was instructed to scrub clean every seat. The first sixty minutes were extra torturous since the Slytherins had practice that night. Fortunately, practice only lasted until eight; otherwise Sirius was sure the Slytherins would have stayed. As it was they kept throwing him smirking smiles and mocking his movements – all without breathing a word. After all none of them wanted to be sacked with a detention, as Professor Keenan, a book in hand, was seated in one of the lower rows. The fourth entailed cleaning out ten filthy, smelly, crusty tanks that Professor Keenan had found in storage from a retired Professor.

Sirius waited on edge during all four detentions for Professor Keenan to ask him about his family. Sirius was sure that had been his intention in overseeing each detention. Force them in a room for a few hours and maybe Sirius would spill something. It never came; though something odd did begin occurring. During every detention besides the one he served on the pitch, students peaked in looking for Professor Keenan. Sirius could see no common denominator in these visitors; they were of different ages and houses. Professor Keenan conducted whatever matter with them in his private office, taking Sirius's wand with him, not trusting Sirius to not use magic if left unsupervised.

During his last detention Sirius was having quite enough of the stream of students and finally ventured, "Are you holding office hours during detentions, sir?"

Professor Keenan smiled. "No."

"I can't believe they are all here for extra help."

"It is their business what we speak of. Though as I have mentioned in your class, as I mention in all my classes, my door is always open to talk."

Sirius did not hide his disbelief. "They all came to talk to you? To just _talk_?"

Keenan sighed though more in amusement than exasperation. "Not all. Some are here for extra help and some students came to talk."

Sirius gave him a look and Professor Keenan smiled even wider. "I know. I know – this is hard for you to believe. Being away from home can be difficult, and despite what you think adults often can often lend words of wisdom…whether it is from mistakes we've made or lessons we've learned. Being one of the younger Professors makes it easier for students to trust me; though not all students."

"Hmmm," Sirius answered.

"All right, enough chatting and more scrubbing. Put some force into it, Mr. Black. Only an hour left and I expect these tanks to be clean enough so I can use them."

Sirius went back to his task still milling over the fact students actually _trusted_ Professor Keenan. He knew Keenan was well-liked, but he never believed that students would seek him out on their own for his opinion about their problems. There were adults Sirius trusted, like Mr. and Mrs. Potter (though only to a point). The few times he had been allowed to visit James over the summer, they had treated him like a second son. A teacher was a whole different story than the parents of your best friend. All Professor Keenan did was take points off, throw him in detention, and invade his privacy.

It shouldn't have bothered him that other students trusted Professor Keenan. It shouldn't have gotten him thinking that maybe there was something about Professor Keenan that other students saw that Sirius had missed. Sirius shook his head, batting away such thoughts. So what if other students trusted him?Sirius had never been good at following the herd. He wasn't about to start now.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!


	19. A Romp in the Forbidden Forest

**Chapter 19: A Romp in the Forbidden Forest**

James Potter paced back and forth along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. His pacing probably looked more like prancing as he was already in his Animagus form. Somehow, despite the improbability, Sirius and James had convinced Remus that letting 'Moony' out into the Forbidden Forest was a good idea. So now James was waiting near the Whomping Willow – waiting for the werewolf to make an appearance.

James hoped this full moon outing would be therapeutic for both Remus and Sirius. Sirius had spent the last few nights in detention and though this wasn't a rare occurrence, the reason Sirius was in detention all those nights was worrisome. It was unusual behavior for Slytherins to attack in such a public space, especially because Lestrange and Bennett had been delivering a message from Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort. James had a feeling the message was mainly from Malfoy, doubting Voldemort would trust two students. Not that this was in any way comforting because if Lucius was feeling the heat from Voldemort to convert Sirius than that was just as troubling. There was no sense in letting it bother him tonight; James knew he would just have to keep a watch out over the next few months.

James heard a howling noise and perked his ears. His friends should be on their way. Since a stag could not fit in the tunnel, it would be Padfoot's job to coax the werewolf out and Wormtail's job to freeze and unfreeze the tree. The moment the werewolf was outside, James had to spring into action. Wormtail's responsibility would be over, and it would be up to Padfoot and him to control Moony. It was up to them to carrel him in the direction of the Forbidden Forrest and not toward a castle full of students. Their location should be far enough that Moony wouldn't smell the students in the castle, but there was still that nagging feeling that everything could go horribly wrong.

_Positive thoughts, _James scolded himself, _Positive thoughts._

James braced himself as the Whomping Willow grew still and there was Wormtail peeking out. Then Padfoot came crawling out, and he held his breath, as the werewolf emerged from the safety of its holding area. They had just unleashed a werewolf on Hogwarts grounds; they had just undone all of the safety measures put so carefully in place by Dumbledore and the other Professors.

James bounded over quickly. Padfoot gave a bark and Moony seemed to be listening to him for the moment. James approached cautiously letting the werewolf sniff him, letting him remember his scent. The werewolf cocked his head and sniffed the air. James's lungs contracted and Sirius looked ready to pounce, and then before James could blink, Moony shot off. They were on Moony's heels as they entered into the Forbidden Forest. Padfoot pinned the werewolf to the ground and they rolled around nipping at each other. While Moony was occupied with this, James double backed. His heart was still pounding erratically from the scare Moony had given them. At least he'd run into the forest and not the other way. Peter had already unfrozen the Whomping Willow and he hopped onto James's back.

The rest of the night felt like a dream. The Forbidden Forest looked so different from the view of an animal. And the Forbidden Forest seemed to treat them differently; as animals it welcomed them. As the night wore on, Moony shot off in different directions at times forcing them to race after him. Sirius as the closest species to the werewolf tried to assert some dominance, but it only worked for short bursts. James did have to use his antlers a few times as a warning to the werewolf, and after being on the move for the first two hours, Moony finally seemed to calm down a bit, and they were able to roll, play, and rest for a bit in a clearing by a small stream. Wormtail even felt safe enough to be let down and he scurried around the forest floor.

When the sky began to lighten they began coaxing the werewolf out of the forest. Moony seemed reluctant to follow them out of the thick of the forest. After Padfoot nipped him a few times, he followed them quickly. Now came the most complicated part; getting Moony back into the tunnel. Wormtail froze the tree again, and with both of them on their guard, Sirius went into the hole.

It would have been quite a miracle if Moony had just followed Padfoot back into the tunnel, but it was not so easy. Moony watched, howled nervously and ran back into the forest. After an hour of back and forth of this, the boys were getting more and more nervous. The lighter out and the lighter it got out, the more likely someone would spot them from the castle.

Eventually, they had no choice but to stay in the Forest – not too far in and not too close to the edge. Moony eventually curled up on a patch of moss and Wormtail rested beside him. James and Sirius were both too nervous to relax and there was no way to communicate until they transformed back to human form. Finally the moon waned and Moony was transformed back into a shivering, dirty, naked wizard. There was a bruise near Remus's ribs which James had a feeling was his doing and a few scrapes, but all in all he was unhurt. Luckily as Animagus they transformed back with their clothes on, and Sirius took his cloak off to wrap around Remus.

"Are you hurt at all, Padfoot?" James asked for he noticed Sirius was holding his shoulder a bit funny.

"My shoulder- but its nothing – we'll worry about it later."

"Prongs, you've got a scratch on you face," Peter said and James touched his hand to his left cheek, though the cut had already clotted.

Remus stirred to consciousness, but he had no energy and after trying to take a few steps on his own, he collapsed. It would be up to them to carry Remus back to the Shrieking Shack. They didn't have very far to walk to the edge of the forest, but even that was slow going. They were both exhausted from no sleep and their adrenaline spent for the night. James could see Sirius wincing from Remus leaning on his bad shoulder, but he did not complain. It was getting really bright outside and James knew they did not have much time before Madam Pomfrey would check up on Remus. _What would she do if Remus wasn't there?_

At the edge of the forest, they crouched watching the grounds carefully for a few minutes for any movement. The castle was quiet. The grounds were quiet, but they had to hurry. Wormtail changed back to a rat and scampered to the knot on the tree. With one last look around, the boys made a dash with Remus between them. In the mouth of the tunnel they caught their breath. They were safe inside, but they still needed to get Remus to the Shrieking Shack. Peter emerged and transformed back to human.

"Didn't…see…anyone…" Peter said breathing heavily. In a way it was more difficult to maneuver in the tunnel. They had to stay in a single file, so they had to shuffle sideways along in order for Remus to lean on someone. As Sirius opened the trap door in front of him, they could hear someone coming down the tunnel behind them.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Peter whispered urgently. "She'll see us."

James hoisted Remus in front of him as Sirius pulled him up. It felt like lugging a ton of bricks; Remus had fallen back into unconsciousness. Together they laid him roughly on the floor.

"We need to hide," Peter hissed again.

"Upstairs," James whispered. Sirius hadn't moved from his position on the floor beside Remus. "Padfoot, come on!"

They scrambled up the steps, making too much noise, hoping Madam Pomfrey wouldn't notice.

"Padfoot-" Wormtail suddenly said looking at his friend in only a shirt and trousers, "Your cloak! Moony is still wearing it!"

Sirius cursed. With Moony being so out of it, it would seem suspicious to Madam Pomfrey that he'd been able to put a cloak on; maybe throw a blanket over, but nothing more. It would even be more suspicious for Remus to have a cloak with the Black family emblem on it. Sirius flew down the steps and fell to his knees in front of Remus. He roughly undressed his friend and then he saw the trap door begin to lift and there was no time to run up the stairs. Sirius froze. The gig was up; he was going to be caught, expelled, wand snapped --- and a heap of fabric suddenly dropped over him.

_Prong's cloak_! Within a second, Sirius was hidden under it and he began slowly backing up in a crab-like movement away from Remus as Madam Pomfrey emerged. James's quick thinking – elevating the Invisibility cloak down the steps and right above Sirius's head - had saved him.

Sirius stayed safely hidden as Madam Pomfrey wrapped Remus in a cloak she had brought with her. She gave Remus a draft to drink that perked him up and checked him over for any life threatening wounds. Then Remus and the nurse disappeared down the trap door. Sirius stayed under the cloak for a few minutes afraid Madam Pomfrey would suddenly return.

James and Peter ran down the stairs looking relieved, joyful and exhausted. Sirius emerged under the cloak and the moment they all caught each others eye they erupted with cries of joy.

"I thought for sure I was caught!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I nearly peed in my pants!" Peter said grinning hugely.

"Back to the castle?" James asked. He glanced at his watch and with a wry smile said, "Practically time for breakfast!"

* * *

Severus Snape jerked awake. He wasn't sure what had awoken him, and he was not thrilled to have left his dream-world. In dream-world Lily not only thought of him in a romantic fashion, but acted upon it as well.

Last night had not gone in his favor and Snape was not eager to think about it. With Lupin's absence from class, Snape had guessed Potter, Black, and Pettigrew would be out and about that night. He'd come very close to catching them as he followed what he believed to be their voices. Then as he rounded one of the corners still following the voices, he had found an empty hall and complete silence. That was the last sign Snape had of them for the rest of the night. At least he'd been able to avoid Filch, as well as patrolling prefects and Professors, which was a feat in itself.

Unable to return to sleep, Snape showered, dressed, and headed to breakfast early. There was only a spattering of students; Lily, who was an early riser, waved at him from her seat at the Gryffindor table. Snape nodded feeling his face warm remembering the dream he'd just had about her. He received a shock because a moment later Potter, Black and Pettigrew burst into the Great Hall. It wasn't like them to arrive before most of the crowd was already there. And Lupin was missing – still sick or whatever excuse they were using today.

_What had they been up to last night_?

Snape studied them. The three boys seemed off; or at least subdued, yet at the same time very pleased. Snape really couldn't pin down what was different about them, but there was something going on. And though it didn't fit with anything else, they looked as if they'd been in a scuffle. Pettigrew's face was scuffed with dirt. There was a scratch on Potter's cheek, and Black was holding one of his shoulder's gingerly. Snape's cunning mind had always been able to put two unrelated things together in way that most people could not. He thought back to the time before the ambush he'd set up with Leila Yaxley and he remembered quite clearly Pettigrew gesturing toward the Whomping Willow.

_Scuffle? Whomping Willow? A scuffle with the Whomping Willow tree? Would those three be stupid enough to go near the tree after a student had nearly lost his eye a few years before?_

"Why are you staring at my brother and his baboon friends?"

Severus nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Think they are up to something? Did something to our plates or our table?" drawled Regulus. Just like his brother, Regulus tended to hold himself in a regal sort of fashion. Only this posture caused Regulus to look too stiff while Sirius confident and aloof.

Snape was slightly mortified to be caught so intently focused on the Gryffindors. Regulus continued to stand there with his own gaze on his brother. There were plenty of seats at the Slytherin table, and Regulus's friends had already claimed an area four seats down.

"They do look as if they've been up all night. Guess we better have our guard up. Especially you, Snape. You are a favorite target of theirs, aren't you?"

Snape was about to respond with a biting remark when Lestrange and his gang appeared. Lestrange slid into the seat one over across from Snape. Lestrange's arrival took Regulus's interest off Snape immediately.

While Lestrange was busy speaking to Regulus, Snape took one last long look at the Gryffindors. Regulus was right. He hadn't really noticed it before too focused on other things. They were subdued because they were exhausted. Pettigrew was rubbing his eyes, and both Black and Potter were yawning. Maybe their behavior could be explained by a prank about to go off.

Despite a prank being a logical conclusion, breakfast ended without any disruption. Snape waited for the Gryffindors to leave (he saw Black poke Pettigrew awake out of the corner of his eye). Snape knew he had to follow them out. He hadn't eaten much, but it was an opportunity he could not pass up. Snape caught up to them quickly. They were whispering among themselves and he could make out a few words, but they made no sense – 'forest', 'antler', 'cloak' and 'wand'.

"Got some dirt on your face Pettigrew!" Snape called out tauntingly choosing to make his presence known.

Pettigrew colored, rubbing his face fervently and causing it to smear and look worse.

"What's it to you, Snivellus?" James sneered. It was only now being so close to them that Snape could see how tired they really looked. By the dark circles under their eyes, they'd certainly been up most if not all night.

"You should get that healed, Potter," Snape replied motioning to the scratch on his cheek. He was letting them know he was paying attention to all the details. Potter's eyes narrowed. "Wouldn't want it to scar."

Black was still holding his shoulder gingerly…

"Something wrong with your shoulder, Black," Snape continued looking them up and down. He could feel the tension and hatred in the air and he thrived on it.

"Aren't we full of concern today," Black muttered.

"I'm mostly concerned about Lupin. He looked worse than the three of you combined just yesterday. Funny thing for a wizard to be sick _so _often."

"Keep your big nose out of our business," Black growled. There it was again; the strong reaction to Lupin's whereabouts.

"Remus is none of your concern," Potter snapped. Potter had grown from being merely irritated to something else – a bit like a mother bear would react if one of her cubs was threatened. There was also worry in Potter's eyes just like there had been in Lupin's.

"We'll see about that," Snape said under his breath, loud enough for them to hear. As he walked away he could hear Pettigrew telling the other two about his questioning of Lupin a few days ago. Well it didn't matter – Snape wasn't going to be quiet about his interest in Lupin. Let them know he was on to them. It was highly likely the high-strung Gryffindors would actually reveal the truth to him in the attempt to throw him off the trail.

* * *

It was torture getting through the day after the full moon. All Sirius's body wanted to do was rest. Wormtail kept falling asleep in class and finally Professor McGonagall shooed him to the Hospital Wing to be checked out. This of course meant that James and Sirius had to be extra careful not to seem tired enough that they too needed to be checked out.

At lunch, James and Sirius inhaled their food. Sirius chugged down two cups of coffee hoping the extra caffeine would help him get through the day. Catherine suggested he just ask Madam Pomfrey for Pepper-Me-Up Potion, but Sirius did not want the nurse knowing all three of them were exhausted. They stopped in the Infirmary to find Peter snoring in a bed, even though Madam Pomfrey told them she could not find anything wrong with him.

Remus was awake and looked relieved to see them. The nurse healed the scratch on James's face. They did not stay long enough for her to notice Sirius's shoulder injury which was just as well. Earlier that morning, Sirius had inspected it to find an ugly purple-blue bruise that covered his shoulder and went down his back in an oval sort of shape. When James spotted it he kept apologizing because it was pretty apparent it had been his antlers that had accidently caused it.

Peter returned back by dinner time, and Remus was released early the next morning. It was a huge improvement from last year. Sirius remembered it sometimes taking three full days before Moony would be allowed out of the Hospital Wing. They were all eager to speak about the full moon night in privacy, but Derek and Terry were hanging around in the room that morning.

"Glad to see you are feeling better, Lupin," Terry said mildly. "What was it this time?"

"Oh…some sort of flu…Madam Pomfrey wasn't sure. With my rubbish immune system, I seem to catch whatever is going around," Remus stated.

Sirius was sure Derek and Terry could hear the nervousness in Remus's reply. It was odd to be living with three people he didn't keep secrets from and another two people who were so far out of the loop they probably didn't know it. It also reminded Sirius of Snivellus and his inability to not stick his nose in their business. It was no secret that he had always been trying to get them expelled, though this was the first year he'd been so open about it. And the secret he was sniffing around could get Remus expelled and if their Animagus forms were discovered in the process, they'd be receiving a one-way ticket to Azkaban.

Derek and Terry stayed chatting while Remus showered. It was their dormitory as well so there wasn't much Sirius felt he could do to get them to leave. It wasn't until Remus said he needed to find Evans to talk to her about prefect duties that Derek and Terry followed Reums out.

"Thought they'd never leave," Sirius complained.

"Remus left to," Peter reminded.

"Yea well, we'll catch up with him later," Sirius responded.

"Do you think he remembers any of it?" Peter asked.

"I hope some of it," James said. Sirius nodded in agreement. For Sirius the full moon outing had been one of the most memorable nights of his fifteen years. The freedom, exhilaration, rule breaking – and it would put a damper on things if Remus remembered none of it.

Sirius walked over to Remus's desk drawer and rummaged around until he found the bruising cream Madam Pomfrey supplied Remus with. The bruise was still painful and though the cream worked best when immediately applied, Sirius hoped it would make it heal faster.

* * *

Remus was just as anxious to speak to his friends as they were to him. Madam Pomfrey had been hovering around when his friends visited the Hospital Wing, so all James and Sirius could do was give him a thumbs up. Peter had spent his afternoon sleeping and was promptly dismissed the moment he awoke. Remus remembered bits and pieces of the night. He had flashes of trees, a dog, a rat riding on a deer, and there had been none of that terror, fear, and restlessness that always stayed with him after a transformation. The flashes of memory – despite it being night time – were bright and positive.

"Lupin!"

"Hey, Lupin wait up!"

Derek and Terry were calling after him.

"Could we speak to you about something? As a prefect?"

"Err, sure," Remus stated feeling dread creeping up.

"Your friends were out the other night. All night! They didn't come back until the early morning hours," Derek started.

"Oh? Really?" Remus answered feigning surprise and at the same time wondering what their angle was.

"We figured they were planning a prank, but nothing went off yesterday," Terry added.

"The point is- " Derek said impatiently. "The point is -could you speak to them about it?"

"About not sneaking out?" Remus asked feeling his face redden in guilt. There was no way that conversation was ever going to happen.

"More about not making a racket when they sneak back in," Dereck said dryly. "It woke both of us up last night (well it was morning by then) and it hasn't been the first time. I could care less about the rules they are breaking. And we could have gone with our complaint to Evans or another prefect, but like we said, we don't want to tattle on them."

"Yes, I will certainly speak to them about it."

Derek gave Terry a sideways look and then said, "We'd also like to discuss about have certain quiet study nights up in the dormitory. It is our room too and we shouldn't have to use the library if we want some silence."

"Of course you shouldn't," Remus agreed. Derek and Terry really had been good roommates and they'd never really complained, even though Remus knew what berks James and Sirius could be. James and Sirius didn't always think about how their actions affected others. "I'll talk to them."

"Thanks, Lupin."

"Certainly."

Remus shook his head watching them leave the common room. It was going to be entertaining to tell his friends about that conversation.

* * *

A storm was raging outside Hogwarts. For the past three days torrential rain and high speed winds had battered the castle. James stared idly at the blank page in front of him; the blank page that should have been the start of his History of Magic essay. It was hard to concentrate after being stuck indoors for three days; of course James knew he couldn't be picky because the weather had saved him the other night.

Two nights ago James had been sitting in the same chair and attempting just like today to do his homework. He was quickly realizing that the amount of workload fifth years endured was not an exaggeration. Of course not all students in the common room had piles of homework, and a particular group of first years were being particularly rambunctious. They were playing a loud game of Exploding Snaps and their carefree manner had been grating on James from the moment he had sat down.

Sirius was thinking along the same lines as he was. "On the count of two?" Sirius asked, taking hold of his wand.

James nodded business like.

"One. Two."

Sirius sent a hex to glue their mouths shut and James had thrown _Levicorpus_. The group of first years found themselves strung up by their ankles, turning red and unable to make a sound

It wasn't that James hadn't been expected to be caught. He had thrown a spell in a common room full of people. He hadn't expected Lily Evans to take it all so personally. Instead of deducting points off Gryffindor, she ordered them to accompany her to McGonagall. She did not wait for their compliance forcing the two boys to jog after her out of the common room.

Under normal circumstances James wouldn't have cared a wit about detention. Only detention tomorrow night meant missing Quidditch practice. Aidan had already warned him that he'd be benched if he missed another practice. James was not about to be benched without a fight.

"Come on, Evans. Just listen to me-" James said. He'd caught up with her and put a hand on her shoulder.

She stopped shrugging his hand off. "I will not allow you to hex students just because they annoy you under my watch! Especially not first years."

"Admit it. They were being obnoxious," James said.

"Then you should have reported their behavior to a prefect, Potter."

Sirius made a mocking noise.

Lily rounded on Sirius. "And you! I would have expected better behavior from you after spending four nights last week in detention!"

"Did you really?" Sirius asked sarcastically. James shot Sirius a look. James didn't want Evans more infuriated than she already was.

"Can't you just deduct points?" James gave her a charming smile. "Why do we need to involve Professor McGonagall?"

"Because Potter it isn't fair the rest of the House has to suffer point loss because you two can't control yourselves."

"Can you report it tomorrow night?" James questioned.

"Why?" Evans asked suspiciously. Her green eyes flashed with anger and despite his annoyance with her need to enforce the rules, James couldn't help notice how attractive she was.

James felt his face warm as his eyes met hers. His heart was pattering madly now and he felt embarrassed. He didn't want to tell her about the Quidditch practice dilemma, but he had no choice. "I can't have detention tomorrow because I have Quiddith practice. Aidan will bench me if I miss it. You don't want Gryffindors' first loss against Slytherin to be your fault."

"My fault? Oh good one Potter. I believe our team is perfectly capable of winning without your presence!"

James looked at Sirius for assistance. Sirius looked amused, though he did add, "James is our highest scorer. You can't argue with stats."

It did them no good. Lily would not be swayed. James didn't even bother to ask McGonagall to change the night of his detention. He very well knew that would merely earn him a second night of detention. McGonagall was in a foul mood as it was, especially to see Sirius so soon after last week's detentions. She lectured them both sternly and stated if they got into trouble again before the end of the month it would be a trip to the Headmaster's office.

Somehow news about the detention and the fact that Aidan was going to bench James got around the school by the next morning. Aidan had yet to approach James, though various Quidditch members gave him sympathetic looks. Even if Aidan wanted to go back on his word, James knew it would be hard now that the whole school was aware about it.

James wanted to ask Remus why he hadn't tried to interfere last night. It was Sirius who ended up confronting Remus, asking him sharply the next morning, "Why didn't you step up, Remus? Could have saved James a lot of hassle."

Remus replied coolly, "I can't stop another prefect from disciplining you when you so blatantly break the rules."

Sirius would have probably continued arguing if James hadn't looked out the window noticing that the storm had not let up over night. Hope flooded his mind. "It might not matter! If the storm keeps up practice will be cancelled and I can't be penalized for missing a practice that was cancelled."

At lunch time Dumbledore announced that all Quidditch practices and any activities outside were cancelled for the day. There was some cheering among the Gryffindors at the news.

"You are _so _lucky," Peter said enviously.

Aidan approached him later. "That was a close one, Potter. Behave yourself until we beat Slytherin, ok?"

So James knew he should be embracing the weather. He might be bored and long for clear, blue skies, but at least he would be playing against Slytherin. James looked over to the Gryffindor girls in his year, his eyes resting on Lily Evans. She was twisting a strand of her hair and her forehead was crinkled in concentration. He couldn't understand why he still felt so strongly attracted to her. Evans had made no attempt to even be friendly towards him since her rebuke of his Hogsmeade invitation. Rather the opposite now that James thought about it. Still he couldn't help staring at Lily when they were in the same room.

James wasn't the only one staring at a member of the opposite sex. Catherine Pierce was looking longingly at Sirius. Sirius was intently focused on his essay. James wasn't sure if Sirius was intentionally looking aloof, as he tended to be hot and cold with Catherine; or if the essay was really taking all his concentration. James could not focus and he blamed all on Lily Evans.

Remus looked up from his own work and met his eyes. James grinned. Remus was fully recovered from the full moon. He had color back in his face and had caught up on sleep and his workload. And it was all because of them. All the hard work they had put in to become Animagus had paid off. They had discovered that though Remus didn't have detailed memories, he did remember bits and pieces of the night. Remus had grown quiet when they had relayed to him the difficulty of getting the werewolf back into the tunnel and though James and Sirius hadn't wanted to tell him that Sirius had almost been caught by Madam Pomfrey, Peter blurted it out. Still nothing bad had happened. James had felt better when Remus stated they would brainstorm ways to coax the werewolf back in so that there wasn't a close call next time. The fact there would be a _next time_ was the only thing James cared about.

Suddenly Catherine Pierce stood up. Catherine made her way around so that she approached Sirius from behind. Sirius hadn't noticed. She bent over and grabbed Sirius's quill right out of his hand.

"Hey!" Sirius called, turning around.

Catherine pranced backward and waved the quill in the air. "Come and get it!"

Sirius jumped to his feet and James (as well as most of the common room) watched his pursuit in amusement. The two danced around the furniture and tables, Catherine giggling the entire time. Finally Sirius was able to corner her up against a wall, pinning one of her arms against the wall. Catherine's other hand was still holding the quill. Then in front of everyone, Sirius kissed Catherine soundly. Wolf whistles resounded around the room. Catherine caught by surprise did not resist as Sirius slowly unclasped her grasp on the quill during the kiss.

Sirius returned back to his seat as if nothing unusual had happened. Catherine was still standing where he'd left; she looked pleased and breathless. James supposed it was a good thing Catherine enjoyed the public aspects of being in a relationship with Sirius Black. Making-out in the common room was not an odd occurrence with the older students, yet everyone had watched their kiss as if they'd never seen anything like it before.

James lifted his eyebrows. "Was that necessary?"

"Yes," Sirius replied leaning back casually. "That was my _best_ quill."

* * *

**Author's note:** I can't believe this is chapter nineteen already and there is still so much to write! Let me know your thoughts about the chapter and thank you for reading!


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